


Even in Death

by DepressoxEspresso



Series: Even In Death [1]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Real World, Eventual Relationships, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Implied Sexual Content, Inspired by Real Events, Past Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, The Slowest Burn to Ever Slow Burn, maybe it'll have smut later idk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2018-09-21 07:45:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9538391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DepressoxEspresso/pseuds/DepressoxEspresso
Summary: A Historical Fantasy. After the bombing of Hiroshima Kagome wakes up to find herself in the world of spirits. A story of Love and War, Loss and Gain, and ultimate choice; to stay with her new found love or return to the family she's always known.





	1. August 6, 1945

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor make profit from these stories.
> 
> Warning: Will contain graphic scenes, harsh topics, swearing and eventual adult content.

**"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or in the holy name of liberty or democracy?"**  
**― Mahatma Gandhi**

* * *

" _They're cowards!" Kagome's grandfather ranted, "How many more lives need to be lost for the sake of pride? Why do we fight a meaningless war?! Cowards, the lot of them! It takes a bigger man to just accept defeat!"_

" _Father, please, be careful with your words. If someone were to hear you talk like that they would take you for a traitor." Kagome's mother interjected._

" _Let them!" the old man spit, eyes harsh on his daughter, "Dear, your husband, the father of your children, lost his life fighting this useless war, why do you defend it?"_

_Kagome's mother's expression softened at the memory of her late husband, "He fought valiantly for his country and died with honour. I wish it did not turn out that way but he is watching over us now."_

_Her grandfather snapped his wrists, straightening his limp newspaper. The headline read "Japan to continue the fight despite recent loses"_

" _Our country is led by madmen, they would rather see the Japanese race wiped off the face of this Earth than surrender from this worthless war. The way of the samurai has long since passed, why do these cowards continue with this idiocy?! Watch, something big is coming and none of us will live through it, mark my words!"_

" _Father!" Kagome's mother finally broke in, anger evident in her tone, "Please, keep your voice down, what if the children overhear?"_

_He flipped the page of the newspaper, scoffing at the next article and flipping the page over again. "Mark my words." He spoke softly. He had made his point and he knew it, no need to argue further. Kagome's mother sighed in defeat at her father's stubbornness._

Kagome stood outside her family shrine, sweeping away dust and debris from the monuments dutifully. Her mother and grandfather had not noticed her standing just outside the shoji wall, overhearing every word they had spoken. In a way she knew he was right. Countless lives on both sides had been lost, bomb drills had become a daily occurrence at school and people lived in constant fear of what was coming next. That didn't make his words hurt any less or make her any less terrified. He had only spoke what everyone was silently thinking, but to hear the words out loud made it real.

The shrine had seen an influx of visitors lately. The busy city of Hiroshima had been especially peaceful during the war. While every other major city had seen air raids and bombings, Hiroshima had been otherwise untouched. The people all feared it was because the west had something especially nasty in mind for them, so they spent their time offering prayers that the peace would last. Hoping some ancient kami would protect them from the bombs that dropped like rain in the recent days. "Some non-existent spirits won't protect us" she mumbled as she passed an elder woman praying diligently at the Goshinboku. Her grandfather had been too weak lately to do the daily shrine chores, so Kagome and her kid brother, Souta took it upon themselves to do it themselves.

Kagome went into the shed and started searching for the broom. It was tedious and back breaking work to sweep the grounds of the shrine, but important none-the-less – especially in today's world where at the drop of a hat you may have to run for shelter.

Pushing aside boxes labled "Scared bow", "Miko" and "Shikon no Tama charms" she finally found her target, a fraying straw broom. She would have to give Souta an earful later about putting the broom away in a more accessible place. Why would he shove it at the back of the shed anyways?

As she left the shed she looked up at the rising sun. She was used to waking up considerably early lately so she could finish most of the chores before school. With all the visitors someone had to make her that the shrine was presentable and functional - and she sure wasn't leaving that responsibility to Souta.

She looked down at her watch. It was still considerably early in the morning, 6:16 a.m to be exact. Some shrine goers were already assembling. She smiled at them as she swept away debris and tripping hazards out of the way.

It was a beautiful day. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky and Kagome could make out all the spectrum of colours the rising sun painted the sky. It was going to be a hot day. Cicada's were humming lazily in the already hot sun, birds flew around in the sky, seemingly playing a game of tag. Taking a break from her sweeping, she brushed her bangs out of her face, wincing when she felt the sweat that gathered on her brow. Everything about the day seemed too peaceful, like a bad omen just waiting to happen - the calm before the storm. Her grandfathers words rang through her mind, " _Watch, something big is coming and none of us will live through it, mark my words!"_ . Maybe she was just being paranoid, but her gut was hardly ever wrong.

Finally finishing sweeping the grounds, she made her way to her house to wake up Souta. Her mother slept a lot more lately, not that Kagome could blame her. She would often hear her mother sobbing softly at night when she thought her children were asleep. The news of her fathers death hit them all hard. He had been caught at ground zero of an air strike out in the field. They didn't even have a body to bring back. He was a mass of blown off limbs and bloodied parts. The only identifier was his dog tags, but those too had been scorched and mangled.

"… _the father of your children, lost his life fighting this useless war, why do you defend it?"_ Kagome's grandfather had said. _We don't defend it, we hate it as much as you do,_ Kagome thought to herself. _We all hate it!_

Kagome passed by her father's small shrine set up in the entryway of their home. His banged up dog tags hanging lifeless against a framed photo of him with his family, laughing and hugging. Her friends had commented on the strange choice of memorial photo and each time Kagome explained that they didn't want a somber reminder of his life, but one that showed who he was. He loved his family above all else, he loved _life_ above all else. _And he died so we could live._

Kagome climbed the stairs and rapped on Souta's door softly. When she didn't hear a response, she quietly opened the door to see a sleeping Souta sprawled out on his bed. His blanket was covering one leg, he had an arm off the edge of the bed, one over his head and his other leg was flushed straight up against the wall. She could hear his soft snoring and giggled to herself at his position.

Quietly, as to not wake the sleeping adolescent, she creeped up next to his bed. She slowly brought her bands closer and closer to her target – his ticklish sides – and started to relentlessly tickle his most sensitive spot.

He sprang awake within seconds, screaming at the sudden sensation. Kagome held him down as she continued her assault. He was laughing and snorting, begging her to stop.

Assuming he had enough torture, she stilled her hands and gently flicked his forehead.

"Come on, Souta, you have school in an hour and here you are sleeping like some kind of weirdo. How is that even comfortable?"

"I can't help how I sleep!" he retorted.

"Well if you keep on sleeping like that you'll catch cold and probably lose your leg due to blood loss!" She patronized jokingly. "Anyways, go shower. Breakfast will be ready in 30 minutes. If you're late you'll see the full wrath of the Japanese Tickle Army!"

Souta gave a laughing scream as he quickly bounded out of bed. Kagome watched as he went. She was so thankful to have her family. If her mother was right, and their father really was watching over them, he'd want to see them living life like this, happy and together. The world may be at war, but that doesn't mean they had to be.

Making her way down to the kitchen, she started to prepare breakfast and lunches for herself and Souta. Normally her mother loved to do the cooking, but Kagome wanted her to sleep in today. She had been through so much emotional trauma lately, she deserved the sleep.

* * *

With the table set and lunches packed, Kagome looked down at her watch once again. It was 7:30 a.m. She could hear Souta pad down the stairs. He emerged into the kitchen dressed and packed, ready to face the day. His eyes lit when he saw the breakfast Kagome had prepared.

"Wow, sis, some guy's gonna get real lucky with you one day! That is, if he can get passed your face!" He joked, ducking behind a chair as Kagome threw a towel at him. "Not to mention that temper!"

Kagome deftly swept Souta's plate off the table, "Well, I guess you don't want breakfast then." She snorted teasingly.

"Hey hey hey! I never said that! Come on, sis! I'm a growing boy!"

Kagome scoffed as she placed his plate back down on the table. "You're right, you'd better eat or you're going to stay short and scraggly forever!"

Souta stuck his tongue out in retaliation, making Kagome laugh. They both took their seat and dug in to their meals. Kagome hated to brag, but she really was a master in the kitchen. When they finished their meals, the gathered up the dishes and brought them to the sink to wash.

"Hey, Souta?" Kagome asked, handing him a dish to put in the dry rack.

"Yeah, sis?"

"Can you open the shoji door for me? It's getting stuffy and hot in here."

"Sure thing!" He responded as he hopped towards the door, sliding it open easily.

"Wow! The sky really is clear today!" He exclaimed excitedly, "Maybe we'll even have class outside today!"

Finishing the dishes, Kagome joined her brother at the door. A flash of metal in the sky caught her attention. Three planes, obviously American were flying low overhead.

"What do you think they are?" Souta asked worried, his previous vigor suddenly lost.

"Looks like spy planes, probably just intelligence."

Kagome looked down at her watch. It was 8:00 a.m now. Placing her hands on Souta's shoulder roughly, she urged him to get his things together so they could leave. She headed upstairs, grabbing her own bag and padding down the steps. Souta was already waiting at the door, staring at the hoards of bugs marching into their home.

It was then that Kagome had another wave of sickening _wrongness_. Something wasn't right, she could _feel_ it. Despite the heat, the cicada's had stopped chirping. There were no birds flying in the sky. Squirrels and wildlife seemingly disappeared within the hour. A sense of pure dread washed over Kagome. She was suddenly drowning in anxiety. Souta picked up on this and tugged on the hem of her skirt when calling her name didn't get her attention.

"Huh?" Kagome asked, snapping out of her daze. "What is it Souta?"

"Don't worry, sis, Dad is watching over us. He'll keep us safe. The air raid alarms aren't sounding, we're safe." He said with a reassuring smile.

Kagome dropped to her knees and scooped Souta up in her arms. "Of course, Souta. You're right. We have no reason to be afraid."

* * *

A lone B-29 plane – The Enola Gay - flew through the cloudless sky. It's target, the distinctive T-shaped Aioi bridge.

The crew aboard the aircraft were on pins and needles. They were to drop an experimental bomb on the city of Hiroshima in less than a few moments. Everyone waited with a faded breath as the target came into sight. The bomb they were about to drop had never been seen nor used before. No one onboard even knew if the bomb would work.

It was a bomb designed to end the war. A bomb to shock the Japanese into surrender. A weapon of pure mass destruction.

As the Aioi bridge came into sight, the crew aboard the Enola Gay held their breaths as they flipped the switch for the doors to open. With a sickening jerk, the doors flew wide, leaving a clear path for the cargo to fall. Within moments, the bomb dropped.

They had done the math, if the bomb worked, it would detonate in 43 seconds. Every man aboard the plane was counting down.

1…2…3…

They watched as the large metal body of the world's first atomic bomb grew smaller and smaller.

4…5…6…

Soon, Hiroshima would either still stand; or be utterly destroyed.

* * *

Kagome could hear the crowds of shrine visitors gasp as a lone plane made it's way across the clear sky. The air raid alarms still did not go off. They all watched as it streaked a long white tail, adding white to the perfectly blue sky.

"That's a B-29" Souta said, breaking the sickening silence between the siblings.

Suddenly, Kagome saw something drop from it. A small metal object, growing larger and larger as it fell. Her heart stopped dead in her chest. She was paralyzed.

_Watch, something big is coming and none of us will live through it, mark my words!_

"Something big is coming…" Kagome mumbled to herself, barely audible even to herself.

"Huh? Did you say something sis?"

"Something big…" She repeated to herself, eyes wide as the metallic object continued to fall.

40…41…42…

The world was bathed in pure white. There was no sound, no pain, only white.

Just moments later, Kagome felt herself being lifted off the ground, thrown like a rag doll by an invisible force. Her ears were ringing in her head, her eyes burned from the harshness of that white. She couldn't feel anything anymore. She couldn't move, couldn't scream.

There was only white, but that too, faded into black.

When Kagome was little, she was in a car accident with her father. She had broken her leg then. She remembered the doctor asking her to rate her pain on a scale of one to ten. The pain Kagome felt now was easily a 20 - no - 30.

She felt raw and beaten. Her ears were ringing loudly in her head and it showed no sign of stopping. Her nose was assaulted with sickening smells of burnt flesh and coppery blood so strong she could almost taste it. Her vision was hazy. Everything seemed too bright. Colours bled into each other like a morbid Van Gogh.

When Kagome's eyes finally adjusted she wasn't much better off. She had no idea what she was looking at anymore. The entire city was flattened. Red's and oranges danced around her and she was suddenly aware of the blazing inferno that surrounded her.

Yet she was cold.

Colours burned with an intensity she never knew possible. Lights shone brighter, browns looked deeper, reds looked hotter. She could see small light, almost like fireflies flying around her in massive swarms.

Kagome stood up. She felt lighter on her feet. The pain was slowly ebbing away as the piercing cold surrounded her.

_Souta, Mom, Grandpa_

Their faces flashed across her mind. She instantly set to work at the rubble that she could only assume was her home. She started to work at moving the beams of wood and chunks of drywall. The hard materials slicing into her hands. Each second that passed felt like an endless eternity. She tried to ignore the blood that painted the debris as she shifted through it.

"Souta! Mom! Grandpa!" she cried out. She frantically moved aside a beam. She could see a hand contorted at an awkward angle.

"MOM! SOUTA! GRANDPA!" Tears welled up in her eyes. Raising another chunk of dry wall after another, desperately trying to free the body underneath.

A chill ran through her body as she finally removed the last large piece of rubble that trapped her younger brother. She could barely see through her tears; her breath hitched in her throat. Souta lay lifeless, his eyes wide and unresponsive. His limbs were at awkward angles, chunks of wood stuck out of his body like morbid piercings. Blood and dust covered his body; his hair was kinked and singed. Part of his face was burned completely off.

Kagome dropped to her knees. Why did this happen? Why did this have to happen? She tried to grab Souta in her arms, but her arms didn't respond. She just sat there as the world around her burned.

A mound of rubble shifted and fell to the ground, lifting a large cloud of dust into the air. Through tear filled eyes, she could make out another body impaled by a beam of wood.

It was her.

The world gave out from under her. She was left falling through infinite blackness. Nothing made sense, she couldn't tell up from down. She wanted to retch but nothing came. She felt colder than she thought ever possible.

Small, sickly looking imps materialized in the distance. They all gathered around the small green lights, gathering them up in small jars. Kagome watched as a small light left Souta's mangled body, an imp quickly coming to gather it. She cupped Souta's light in her hands, screaming at the top of her lungs that no one could have him.

_But sis, I'm so cold._

Kagome's eyes shot wide open at the sound of Souta's voice. She slowly opened her hand, careful not to let him out of her grasp.

_Sis, it's okay. I'm going with Dad. I can see him. He's with mom and grandpa. I'll be alright._

"But Souta!" Kagome sobbed, "What will I do without you?!"

_I love you sis, we all do. You're strong, you'll do fine. Besides, we'll all watch over you._

Kagome watched as Souta's light softly flew out of her hands. She weakly raised a limp hand, desperate to hold him one last time as he flew towards the imp. She watched as Souta was put into the jar.

 _We'll all watch over you_ Kagome heard her family whisper.

"Wait" she called out meekly, "Please, don't go! Don't leave me here alone!"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears. Soon, all the small blinking lights were collected and the imps started to make their way off into the distance. Their jars filled to the brim with souls. Kagome was left in the rubble as her world continued to crumble around her. Nothing hurt more than this. She would rather have every inch of her body cut off slowly then go through this.

Kagome hardly even noticed when a small imp approached and started to poke at her own body that was sprawled out on the floor a few feet away from her. She didn't care. She stared as it stabbed at her body with a small pitchfork. It was wasting it's time, there was no light for it to take. Her light was dead, her world was gone. Everything she knew and held dear was now burning and dead.

"Please, take me. I don't want to stay here. You take souls don't you? Take me with you!" Kagome pleaded with the imp, who seemed to finally acknowledge her then. It quickly jumped over the rubble and disappeared behind the destruction.

"Wait! Please, don't leave me here!" Kagome desperately yelled after it. "Don't leave me…" She fell over, the sheer despair overcoming her being. She could see the flames flick in the sky. She could hear the screams of people she didn't know calling out for people she also didn't know. She felt hollow, like her heart had been torn out and ran over by multiple steamrollers.

She didn't even notice the light footsteps that slowly approached her, allowing the blackness to overtake her vision and falling deep into unconsciousness.

"Feh, what do you mean you don't know what to do with one of the spirits? You're messengers of the underworld, right? If you don't know how the hell do you expect me to- oh shit"


	2. Kami and their Inugami

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor make profit from this story.

* * *

"But souls can't be sold. They can only be lost and never found again."  
― Ray Bradbury,  _Long After Midnight_

* * *

" _Why do I have to go on soul collecting duty?" Inuyasha snorted angrily as he leaned against the wall to his father's study. He knew that the ancient yokai hated anything other than perfect conduct. The act was the best act he could do in defiance without having his nuts cut off._

_InuTaisho looked up from documents, dropping his pen. The clang made Inuyasha wince. He knew he struck a chord with his father and tried his best to hide his uneasiness. His father's gruff features were highlighted in the flickering fireplace as he stared down his son. Inuyasha held his ground._

" _Because it's your duty." InuTaisho responded. Gods, if Inuyasha had to hear the "it's your duty as an inugami, even a half one, to serve your kami" speech_ _one_ _more time, he was going to lose it. He'd rather be out collecting those damn souls until he died of boredom. Mind you, that wouldn't take too long._

" _Why can't you get Sesshomaru to do it?" Inuyasha hoped his voice didn't sound too whiny. He struggled to maintain his "tough guy rebellious teenager" act when InuTaisho brought him to his full attention._

" _Your brother has his own responsibilities, as do I. You, on the other hand, spend your days sparing and napping. Inuyasha, I will not ask you again."_

_Inuyasha pushed himself off the wall, throwing his arms up over his head. His ears twitched at the too-steady breathing coming from his father. "Keh, whatever," he said in a final act of defiance before leaving._

" _Be out in the field by 7:30 a.m." InuTaisho ordered from his room. He didn't raise his voice, he knew his son would hear him._

Inuyasha was sprawled out on top of a building he guessed was a hospital. His legs dangled carelessly off the edge as he stared up at the cloudless sky. He had long stripped the armor his father insisted he wear whenever he's out in "the field". He hated the heavy garment, it restricted his movements and dug into his ribs. He much preferred his loose haori alone.

He didn't even bother to watch as the messengers of the underworld did their job. The little sickly imps grossed him out. The only creature that repulsed him more was his half-brothers lackey, Jaken. Some youkai where just better off to be left in some hole, out of sight.

Below him the city was slowly growing more and more lively. It grated on his sensitive ears. To say he was in a bad mood would be an understatement. He was down right bitter.  _Feh, it's an inugami's duty to serve their kami. So why the hell don't you do it you lazy old man? I don't even have a kami, why do I have to do the dirty work for you?_

Inuyasha could already hear his father's answer. "Because my kami is your mother."

That was probably the only good thing about having to be out here for Inuyasha. soul-collecting duty gave him an excuse to spend time with his mother. She would tell him stories about when she used to be alive – a living, breathing human- many centuries ago until she was killed in war. She would tell him how back then sin, youkai and oni were all so out of control god finally chose a lone human pure of heart to combat them at the source. Sure, there had been miko's , monks and exorcists back then but it hardly put a dent in their growing numbers. His mother purified broken souls, ensuring they made it to heaven.

Whenever Inuyasha or her mate – and inugami - went out to the human world she always asked how it's changed. She would sit there, whispering softly to the small spirits as she listened. It was Inuyasha's favourite thing to do with his mother. He hardly got time to spend with her otherwise. It was hard work that wore down her mind.

Three planes flew low overhead as he continued in his melancholy. It had been especially hard on his mother lately with the war the humans were having. He didn't even want to tell her about the human world anymore. More often than not it was only surrounded by death and destruction. New weapons were being introduced all the time, each one designed to kill in another terrible way. The worst was the gas victims. Souls of humans killed by gas had gone through such pain their souls were especially broken. Whenever one came through their door Inuyasha, InuTaisho or Sesshomaru had to be present; they almost always turned into youkai or oni.

Of course, his mother wasn't alone. Inuyasha knew of two others. One was Sesshomaru's kami, Rin. She had been murdered by bandits a few centuries back and was especially good at pacifying spirits of murder victims. Of course, his mother having died due to war was better at pacifying spirits of war victims so she was much busier than Rin was these days. Rin spent most of her time blessing the jars they used to hold the spirits until they could be purified since his mother had her hands full almost constantly.

The last kami was a traitor. Everything about her put a sour taste in Inuyasha's mouth. Inuyasha didn't know how she died, though it seemed to be from exsanguination. What inflicted the wound on her was anyone's guess. She had always been crazy from the start. She would accidentally "lose" souls, leaving them to become malicious spirits, disregard her work and would even sabotage his mother and Rin. As Inuyasha was her inugami she took great pleasure in toying with him; whether that be his heart, mind or soul. As loyal as an inugami is, she broke him. Inuyasha went into a 3 month rage in which his father had to chain him up in the basement of their estate.

What happened to her; he didn't care, he had never bothered to even ask. Although he hoped she was rotting in hell where she belonged.

Inuyasha flattened his ears as another plane flew by. It was flying considerably lower than the last group that passed making it that much more grating on his ears. He opened an eye partially in mild interest. It was a small plane that left a long white tail behind it that quickly dissipated into the cloudless sky. It looked so out of place. He had seen bomber planes before but this one looked nothing like it.

It was only when he noticed a small object drop out of it that he figured something was wrong. The humans had developed sirens that warned them of incoming attacks such as these, yet the humans were just staring at it or ignoring it completely.

He quickly stood up and shrugged on his warlord armor. His instincts nagged at him that something big and devastating was about to happen.

_What a pain_

He finished tying his emerald green obi around the waist of his chest plate and looked up just in time to watch the falling metallic object explode. Suddenly the world turned completely white. Inuyasha reflexively raised his hands to cover his eyes. He could see the bones of his fingers and instantly knew this wasn't just any ordinary weapon. He felt the world around him grow to into a blazing inferno. It felt like the doors of hell just opened and was letting in a draft.

Next came a large pulse. He felt the structure beneath his feet jerk before brick by brick the building was torn apart. The shock wave didn't affect Inuyasha, he was not of this world and thus could not be killed through ordinary means. Although he existed on a separate plane didn't mean he could fly; the sudden loss of stable ground beneath his feet sent him barreling down to the ground. He winced as he made contact with the blazing rubble. His sensitive eyes were still adjusting from the harsh light from before so he relied on his other senses to tell him what happened. He could smell fire, blood, charred skin and burned metal, hear screams of agonizing pain. The air tasted like copper and everything burned a little too hot for his liking.

When his eyes finally started to make out shapes he was instantly greeted by a sky completely littered with souls; the small, green fireflies flying around aimlessly in the thousands. Never before in his life had he seen such destruction in only a matter of seconds.

"You  _really_ should've given soul duty to Sesshomaru today, Father!"

* * *

Izayoi sat in her garden, surrounded by the souls brought in throughout the night. The souls blinked through the trees and flowers. It was a scene straight out of a painting.

She was tenderly raising her hands to let them float into them while she sang a soft melody. Each soul had a name and a story. Izayoi knew them all. She could delve into each of their final moments. She had been doing it for so long she only needed a second with each to know their pain – and more importantly, how to purify them. But it felt so… impersonal. Each jar brought in held countless tales. Experience made her look at the beauty of their lives rather than the cause of death. It was soul breaking work, but worth every tear.

The fireflies in her hands slowly started to fly upwards, hovering slightly above her open palms. "It is time for you to depart, rejoice! Welcome to paradise my dear ones." She spoke in a sing-song voice. Each soul fluttered in excitement at each syllable. Slowly, she lowered her hand to the river in front of her and the pure souls dove in, their firefly-like souls illuminating the water a beautiful jade green. Izayoi smiled at their happy colours as they went along. She didn't have a moment to revel in the joy of the moment, however. Immediately another jar dissolved into feathery white light and more broken souls began to dance around the kami.

"Hello my dear ones," she spoke softly to the new swarm of souls, "I'm so glad you could be here…"

Izayoi felt something inside of her snap. Something was wrong. A tear formed in her eye and gently rolled down her slightly rose cheeks.  _Too many sad souls… too many lives lost at one time!_

She made quick work of the less troubled souls, sending them immediately into the river at a simple touch. "InuTaisho!" she called out to her mate. Within seconds he was in the garden. A few stray cherry blossom petals fell around her as she turned to face the flustered youkai.

"InuTaisho, dear, something is wrong. Call Rin and Sesshomaru. A huge number of souls just rose from Hiroshima… 4,000… no… 6,000 souls; and the number keeps growing."

InuTaisho deftly left the garden leaving Izayoi to shift through the remaining souls before the new bulk came in. He found his son almost immediately within the west wing of the estate. This was the time of day when Rin purified and restored the jars for later use.

"Sesshomaru," InuTaisho spoke calmly. Sesshomaru raised his head from his book, acknowledging his father respectfully.

"Gather Rin and some to the garden. I'm sure she felt it too. Izayoi will need help."

Wordlessly, Sesshomaru stepped up to the shoji screen separating them from Rin. Rin saw his massive shadow approach and opened the screen without question, stepping outside carefully as to not trip on her long kimono.

"Where is Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru asked in a monotone voice.

"He is out watching over the messengers of the underworld." InuTaisho responded almost as emotionless as Sesshomaru.

"Perhaps you should call him back and let me take over."

"No time for that. You will wait until Inuyasha returns." InuTaisho interjected.

"As you wish, Father."

* * *

Inuyasha stood amongst the wreckage. He couldn't make heads or tails of what had just taken place. Messengers of the underworld were running around frantically trying to collect all the souls. Everything in sight had been completely flattened. Rubble and bodies littered the ground as far as the eye could see.

The human screaming grew in succession as more survivors came to. Some of them had managed to come out from under the wreckage and were stumbling around aimlessly, calling out names in rasping voices.

Those who survived looked like walking corpses. Skin fell off bone like well-cooked ribs. Mothers held completely blackened and stiff babies to their breast in an attempt to nurse. Some had half of their bodies entirely burned away. It looked like an artist's depiction of hell. It couldn't have been too far from what true hell was like at all.

Inuyasha walked through the crowds of gathering injured. No one looked human anymore. He looked away when he passed a man whose skull was partially exposed. Years of being surrounded by death and war, this was by far the worst attack he had ever witnessed.

The mass of souls seemed endless. Messengers filled jars within seconds, rushing towards what Inuyasha only knew by instinct was the direction of the gateway between the human world and the spirit one. He followed suit, heading north-east after the imps. This was too much for him to handle. He had never been good at the technical, political stuff. He was a warrior through and through. Put him in front of a soul turned oni, he'd have it sent to hell in 2 seconds flat with a postcard to boot.

Rubble shifted and fell all around him. The copper of blood and burn of skin made him sick to his stomach. He just wanted out of this hell hole. He'd be better suited helping his mother and Rin dealing with the aftermath, killing off any stubborn soul so they could move on to the next without any problems.

Suddenly, a messenger ran straight towards Inuyasha.  _Great_  he thought,  _just what I need now is another damn problem!_

"Spit it out!" Inuyasha cursed at the imp when it came within earshot, "We don't have time for this!"

The imp lowered down to its hands and knees, bowing down to the man before him.  _Please, Lord Inuyasha, have mercy! I came across a soul that isn't like the others. I don't know what to do with it._

Messengers spoke telepathically. Inuyasha never got used to the sound of another creatures voice inside his head along side his own. Yet another reason the damn imps were so repulsive.

"Feh, what do you mean you don't know what to do with one of the spirits? You're messengers of the underworld, right? If you don't know how the hell do you expect me to- oh shit"

Inuyasha saw what the imp meant. A girl was curled up on the ground, her steady breathing told him that she was probably unconscious. A few feet away, another girl in exact likeness lay impaled, charred and bloodied. She was wearing a pure white yukata, customary of a new kami. Her soul must have been pure enough in life to be reborn. He could only assume she passed out from the shock of it all

Her jet-black hair fell around her like a crown of onyx, shrouding her tear stained face from view.

Yet he was drawn to her. Everything about her seemed to reel him in. He couldn't help but think that she was utterly gorgeous even in her current state.

"This one isn't for you to take." Inuyasha quickly spat at the imp at his heels. "I'll deal with this one."

Without removing his chest plate he loosened his haori, removing it clumsily from his body. If his mother and Rin and their perpetual "coldness" were anything to go by, she must have been freezing to death. He gently lifted her and tenderly wrapped the warm fabric around her before lifting her up bridal style.

"My mother is going to have a field day when she see's you." He spoke tenderly knowing she couldn't hear him.

* * *

Izayoi and Rin were shifting through souls frantically. They had never had to deal with so many all at once. Most of them didn't even know they had died. Their memories revealed them running in the street or trying to get to work, then white. That was it; just whiteness, then they were dead. They didn't know how to deal with it. The pressure ate at their spirits as they worked. The souls just kept piling in. There was no end in sight.

There was a sudden jolt and InuTaisho knew his youngest son had returned. Sesshomaru nodded at his fathers gaze, signaling that he's be okay alone for a little while. So far, no souls had turned oni under the care of Izayoi and Rin.

InuTaisho left the garden noiselessly as to not disturb the working kami's. With speeds that could only be achieved by a youkai he was outside the manor within moments. He could see his son walking carefully towards him, something on his back wearing was his haori.

"You won't believe what I found." Inuyasha said almost as a joke. He knew the mood was anything but joking, but anything to piss off his father was worth it.

"What happened." InuTaisho said in a voice that screamed "I mean business"

"I don't even know myself," Inuyasha said truthfully. "There was a plane, something dropped out of it and within seconds, bang, everything was completely destroyed."

Inuyasha could see his fathers eye twitch at his response. He wanted answers and Inuyasha didn't even know what happened himself. Finally, InuTaisho's analytical eyes fell to the girl in his arms. All sudden anger was quickly forgotten as he finally noticed the young girl under the haori, completely dwarfing her under it.

"A kami." He breathed.

Inuyasha gave a smirk, again, mainly to just piss off his father more. "Uh-huh. Sure is."

InuTaisho ignored his son's smirk, returning to a figure of authority rather than a father. "Take her to one of the spare rooms and come to the garden immediately after. You're taking over Sesshomaru."

"Well, I'm glad you finally see I'm far superior to my brother!" Inuyasha snorted. His father simply turned and disappeared through the endless corridors of the manor he called home.

* * *

Izayoi and Rin were frantically sorting through souls like one might sort through files. They decided to leave the souls who didn't know what had happened for later and instead focused on the ones that lived a little passed the explosion.

Finally, the two were making progress. Soon souls began flowing through the stream once more, pacified and ready for the other world. Despite the continued flow of progress, souls continued to pile in by the hundreds of thousands. Those who survived initial injuries were now succumbing to them. Each soul was confused, most broken so badly they could turn at any moment.

Jars were bursting from the seams, allowing souls to spill out in a steady stream. The garden was filled with a soft green light as the fireflies swarmed in such numbers you could barely make out what was directly in front of you.

One soul slipped through that caught their attention. The soul of a young boy named Souta. Before the shock wave hit his sister had shielded him in a futile attempt to save him. He lived for a few moments in extreme agony before bleeding out. Normally a soul like this would be stubborn and difficult, completely unaccepting of their death, but it was already pure.

They watched as it slowly flew over to Izayoi. She held it gently, listening to his pure heart as he spoke to her. If another had purified his soul, she could not send him off.

Inuyasha burst through the garden doors, drawing the attention of all four within.

"Holy shit there's more than there were at the site." He gasped.

At Inuyasha's arrival, Sesshomaru quickly left, stopping by Inuyasha's side to give him a final warning;  _if one soul harms Rin I will kill you myself._

"Language!" Izayoi and InuTaisho scolded in unison.

Inuyasha drew his Tessaiga lazily, letting it transform into a starry black blade in preparation for the worst.

"So, Did'cha tell her yet?" Inuyasha asked his father, slinging the oversized blade over his shoulder.

"Tell me what?" Izayoi questioned, the firefly in her palm started blinking rapidly.

Inuyasha gave a toothy grin. "I found a new kami."

* * *

**Glossary:**

**Kami: Most stories use "kami" as a word for "god" but kami are any spirit, good or bad, in the Shinto belief. In this story it deals with Kami that heal souls, they are not god, think of them more like angels.**

**Inugami: Loyal dog youkai who serve a single master unless they are severely mistreated. In this story, their masters are Kami.**

**Oni: Lesser than youkai in this story. Humanoid demons. Think of ogres.**

**Youkai: In this story, they are spirits cast out of heaven who must do god's bidding although some disobey and are utterly evil.**


	3. Events Unfolding

"Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.  
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,  
Where there is injury, pardon;  
Where there is doubt, faith;  
Where there is despair, hope;  
Where there is darkness, light;  
And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek  
to be consoled as to console,  
to be understood as to understand,  
to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,  
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,  
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."  
― Francis of Assisi

* * *

_Kagome stood amongst flowers and exotic animals she had never seen before. Peace washed over her entire soul. Colours she hadn't even known were painted across the sky, swirling in the wind. Large white doves flew overhead singing harmonic songs. She was warm and she could feel herself being enveloped in a presence she couldn't describe as anything but the embodiment of love._

_She felt happiness beyond anything she had ever experienced before. That was when a crowd of people started to rush past her. People young and old and all ages in between all sorted passed her. Children ran forwards in pure bliss, the elderly walked with a spring in their step as they approached their ultimate destination._

_Kagome looked in the direction they were all headed. Before her was the purest white she had ever seen. It radiated so bright it didn't even dim when she closed her eyes. As her eyes adjusted she could see cherubs and seraphim straight out of the most detailed paintings on Earth flying about, all singing and playing trumpets._

_As the light receded back further it gave way to a massive gate, its intricate gold doors wide open so the masses could enter. The gates were shaped in massive swirls and patterns and adorned with every jewel or gem ever discovered. It called to her. She wanted to see what was beyond those gates with all of her soul. She approached the gates and stared in wonderment. It was beyond anything words could hope to describe…_

_But she could hear voices calling out from behind, pleading for her to help them._

_She turned away from the gates and started walking away from it, pushing through the crowd. With ever step the pleas grew louder from people begging to be let in._ _She wanted to help them…She wanted those people to experience this world too!_

_She broke into a run, stumbling and tripping in her haste to get to those people. She could see them, all separated by a vast river; hoards of people desperately trying to make it to the other side._

_Without hesitating Kagome ran into the river. A soft voice inside her warned that if she did this, she would never be able to return._

" _I don't care! If I have to give it up so these people can know it then I'd do it a thousand times over!" She screamed, tears welling up in her eyes as she pushed through the strong current of the river._

_A flash of light above her made Kagome bring a wet hand to cover her eyes. A young girl about her age stood before her, hovering slightly over the water. She had snow white skin with a mandala on her forehead. Her jet black hair danced behind her in the breeze._

" _You have made your choice."_

_The waters parted and the woman was gone. Kagome didn't waste any time, running towards the hoards of people begging for help._

* * *

"This is endless!" Inuyasha said annoyed as he opened his meido, his father easily knocking the youkai through it.

"There's too many injured souls!" Rin breathed, the weariness of purifying the souls for the last few hours evident on her voice.

"We can't stop!" Izayoi snapped at the younger kami, bringing another wave of fireflies towards her. She was clearly exhausted, sweat had formed on her brow and her colour had been flushed from her face.

The jars of souls didn't stop coming in. Thousands of souls that were confused and injured, souls that hadn't even known they had died, souls of people who suffered unimaginable injuries. The weight of the situation was wearing down on kami and inugami both.

Another jar broke open from the sheer amount of souls filling the room with another swarm of frantic fireflies.

"Shit! What does Sesshomaru think he's doing! Get those damn messengers to stop filling them so much!" Inuyasha chastised, he was making too much work for them back here. Another soul flashed black to his left. With a single swing of his Tessaiga another meido was open sucking in the newborn oni.

InuTaisho beheaded another oni clean with a single swipe, Inuyasha opening another meido behind the headless ogre, banishing it to the underworld,

"Inuyasha! We have to be wary of our resources! Its better we deal with the sheer number here then the human world be infested with oni."

Inuyasha scoffed at his father as another flash went off over head.

"Heads up!" He called out, his father in the air within seconds, cutting the centipede-like oni in half effortlessly, Inuyasha's meido ensured it's descent to hell.

"Lady Izayoi, what do we do? Too many aren't responding to our purification. At this rate we'll lose all these souls!" Rin cried.

"Don't lose hope Rin, just focus!" Izayoi ordered. She had lost the strength to stand and collapsed to her knees.

"Izayoi!" InuTaisho cried out to his mate.

"DO NOT COME!" Izayoi screamed in reply. "I am fine dear, keep your focus on your task."

Souta's soul blinked worriedly around Rin and Izayoi.

"We are fine child, do not worry for us." Izayoi managed a smile.

Just then the doors to the garden opened slowly. Kagome slowly stumbled inside, her eyes filled with fat tears that streamed down her face.

"The kami?!" Inuyasha rasped out more from shock than exhaustion. Suddenly worry was evident on his face. The momentary distraction caused him to miss the flash of the firefly right next to him. The oni quickly moved to attack only to be incapacitated by InuTaisho.

"I told you to take her to a room!" InuTaisho reprimanded.

"I did!" Inuyasha shot back, purposely opening a meido dangerously close to his father.

Souta blinked brighter than he had before. Izayoi's attention was instantly drawn to him as he flew off towards to doors of the garden. One look at the stumbling girl told her all she needed to know.

"Wait!" Izayoi called out, drawing the attention of the two inugami. "She's unconscious!"

Kagome stumbled through the swarm of fireflies, passing right between the two dog youkai. Tears dropped down her chin as she went. Her eyes were clouded and reflected no light, her mouth was slightly agape.

A flash of light went off directly in front of Kagome.

"Shit!" Inuyasha cursed, rushing to her side to fell the oni that had just been born.

Kagome stopped in her tracks, staring at the youkai before her. Just as Inuyasha was in position to safely open a meido, another brilliant flash of light came from it. The oni reverted back to it's firefly like form and slowly flew to the stream allowing it to carry it off to its final destination.

All eyes were on Kagome who had continued stumbling forward. Souta's soul flew close enough to Kagome for her to reach out and hold him. He was blinking happily in her hands. She continued moving forwards, stepping over the small wooden bridge over the stream. She dropped to her knees clumsily and dropped her hands down to the water. Souta slowly dropped in, getting swept away by the current.

Above the water as he went, a light form of Souta's human body appeared.

"What the fuck is that?!" Inuyasha cursed again, not even feeling satisfied at the death glare his father gave him for cursing in front of his mother again.

Izayoi and Rin stared in awe. Kagome raised to her full height again. Her face stained with her tears. She gazed up at the hoards of fireflies. More had gathered, another jar must have broken.

The two inugami jumped out of the way as all the jars behind them began to rattle and crack, releasing all of the souls at once. They raised their swords, ready for the hoards of oni that were about to be unleashed.

Izayoi and Rin had their eyes plastered on Kagome. A soft pink light had begun to radiate out of her, growing brighter and brighter as time went by.

Kagome stared through unseeing eyes at the swarm of fireflies. Not even an inch of air didn't have a soul floating softly within it.

Kagome let out a wailing cry, tears falling down her face like a river. The pink light that had been growing within her radiated outwards, filling the garden with a soft pink light.

All the bodies inside shielded their eyes at the flash and when they opened them again, all the souls were slowly floating towards the stream in a neat line.

They were all stunned. Within seconds all of the souls had made it through the stream, all of their human forms smiling happily above the water as they went.

None of them had seen anything like this before.

Kagome wavered on her feet. Within seconds, Inuyasha was in front of her, catching her just before she collapsed to the ground. Her eyes were closed again, the tears slowing down and drying on her cheeks.

Inuyasha held her close to himself, staring down at her face for the first time since he found her. Even with her face blotched and tear stained, she radiated beauty. Her long lashes kissed her cheeks gently, the black emphasizing the rouge of her soft cheekbones. Her lips pursed out slightly in her sleep, giving her the appearance of a pouting child who had been refused their dessert.

Just who was this kami? Never before had he seen anything like that; and judging by the expression of everyone else, they hadn't either.

"That… was AWESOME!" Rin screamed excitedly. "Holy kami! How many souls was that?! And all at once?! What is she!?"

InuTaisho approached his mate, placing a tender hand on her shoulder. He could tell she was utterly exhausted.

"Where did you find her, Inuyasha? From heaven itself? And she's pretty too! Are you sure she's not a seraph?" Rin continued rambling.

"Inuyasha dear," Izayoi's soft voice cut through Rin's rant. He lifted his eyes to meet his mothers at an angle that he could still see Kagome in his peripheral.

"Take her back to her room. We'll sort this out later. But for now… she needs rest."

"As do you, dear." InuTaisho interjected. "You work too hard my love."

Izayoi didn't have the energy to argue like she normally would. Instead she allowed him to raise her to her feet and usher her out of the garden, Inuyasha following close behind, Kagome in his arms bridal style.

Izayoi stopped short of the door, "Rin, will you be alright on your own for a little while?"

"Uh huh!" Rin responded cheerfully, her youth shining through with her abundance of new found energy. "Please Lady Izayoi, rest. You need it more than I do."

"Thank you Rin." Izayoi responded with a soft motherly smile before she was ushered out of the garden and towards her room by her mate.

Just as Inuyasha was about to turn in the opposite direction, Izayoi stopped again; turning to face her son.

"Inuyasha, I'm counting on you to watch over her. Call me when she wakes up."

"Sure thing." Inuyasha replied before padding down the corridor.

* * *

He had purposely put her in a room closest to his own. Right off the bat he knew there was something special about her, an innocence that burned like a candle in the dark. He felt the pull to be near her and knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep if she were too far away.

Approaching the sliding shoji screen door, he slid it open with his foot and stepped inside. The room was mostly empty seeing as it was simply a spare room in case they found more kami or the occasional guest. There was a large western style bed near the centre of the room, a screen to change behind and a closet. The room was so impersonal, just housing the essentials. It was dark and dusty due to the years of not being in use. Inuyasha could already feel a sneeze coming on and rushed towards the bed before he could sneeze directly into her face.

Pushing the plush sheets that were specifically made to protect a kami from the cold, he gently laid her down and tucked her in. Her face was calm and innocent as she slept, as if she hadn't just purified upwards of 10,000 souls or more in a single shot.

He sat beside her on the bed, studying her features. He raised his hand and gently swept a stray lock of hair away from her face.

For the first time in his life he understood why his father and half-brother were so protective of their kami. This whole time he thought it was simply them playing out their duty given to them by God himself. He had purposefully lived his life against that duty. Even when he had his first kami he had never felt this overwhelming urge to protect her.

Standing up from the bed and wincing when Kagome stirred at the motion he sat down against the wall, crossing his arms and legs, hugging the Tessaiga.

Normally Inuyasha had no problems drifting off to sleep, but with his kami in the room his senses were on high alert.

Wait…  _His_  kami? Since when had she become  _his_? She hadn't even woken up yet for God's sake and he had already claimed her.

He let out an audible sigh, cursing his mother who probably set this up on purpose  _knowing_  this would happen. He could see her raving over the development excitedly already.

* * *

Izayoi was tearing apart her room, looking for a specific kimono and overcoat. She rummaged through her overstuffed closet. InuTaisho had given her way too many clothes. Even with her immortality she would never get to wear them all in her lifetime.

Giving up her search on the lower shelves, she got up to her tip toes and reached up to the top shelves, pulling down heavy fabrics so they fell to the floor in heaps. She sorted through the fabrics until she finally found the one she was looking for.

"Ah ha! This is the one!" She exclaimed. "Now where's the obi and overcoat…"

She shoved the fabrics into the closet, closing it behind her as she rushed towards another one.

"Dear, this isn't resting." InuTaisho pointed out annoyed at his mate.

"Yes but I want to be ready when she wakes up." Izayoi said with a pout, knowing it would make her mate allow her to continue her search at least a little while longer.

InuTaisho just watched her as she smiled and resumed her search. "Now where did I put them? Ah! There we go! I just know she'll love these, it's just her colour, don't you think love?"

InuTaisho didn't answer, instead opting to stare her down with eyes that demanded she come lie down.

The fabrics all folded and set aside for later, Izayoi finally joined InuTaisho on their bed.

"Why would you tell Inuyasha to watch over the kami. Nothing in here can harm her; she's in more danger alone with him."

Izayoi snuggled up to InuTaisho, unfazed by the sudden question.

She looked up at him and winked. "Divine intervention." She joked.

"So he is her inugami then." InuTaisho stated, voice all seriousness which caused Izayoi to pout at him again. He wrapped an arm around her and started caressing her back.

"Yes, I think so." Izayoi sighed out in pleasure at the caresses, "And you know Inuyasha… he'll avoid her unless he's told otherwise. I simply pushed down the first domino."

Izayoi relaxed into her mate, finally allowing her eyes to flutter closed. She had become so used to being tired that she learned to tune it out. Once something popped in her head, she didn't stop until it was finished; even if it took days. Of course, InuTaisho hated it. For him Izayoi's health was first and foremost. She may be an immortal kami, but her soul came from a human, so she could still take ill.

He let a low growl grumble out of his throat, like a mothers heartbeat it sent Izayoi another wave of relaxation. She fell asleep within seconds.

InuTaisho didn't still his motion on her back even after her breathing was reduced to slow, calm breaths. He enjoyed being with her like this more than anything. He leaned down and gave a soft kiss on his mates forehead. She didn't even stir. He just sat like that, with her in his arms, listening to her breathing and steady heartbeat until he knew she was in a deep enough sleep to leave her.

Now that the initial shock was over, it was time to act. Setting Izayoi down on her plush pillow gently, he marched to his office. He quickly scrawled out several letters explaining to the other factions what had transpired that day and for assistance.

Going to the balcony of his office, he summoned multiple messengers of the underworld, giving them the letters and sending off.

InuTaisho had a sickening feeling this wasn't going to be a one time occurrence.

* * *

Sesshomaru stood amongst the rubble that was once the bustling city of Hiroshima. The inugami youkai had seen many centuries through his cold eyes, but nothing rivaled the amount of destruction that lay before him now.

Only about a handful of buildings still stood, and even then only as empty shells or freestanding walls. The smell of blood and various burned materials lingered in the air like a heavy fog. Even the blinking lights of the souls that floated overhead did little to illuminate the wreckage of the city.

He slowly made his way through the carnage, carefully taking in each detail. If what Izayoi and Rin had said was true, all of this destruction was caused by a single weapon. He had heard the few survivors talk of a new bomb designed, one with the potential to wipe out existence as they knew it. Sesshomaru believed their gossip. From what he had seen, this weapon had completely wiped lives out of existence, leveled an entire city and burned it away. He had seen bodies charred beyond recognition and even black chunks of carbon in the shape of human bodies. It wouldn't take the humans long to develop this weapon further.

Sesshomaru felt nothing for the humans. He detested having to serve to save their souls. Despite this, he felt sickened that Rin had to witness this destruction. The one human soul he truly cared for. He didn't want her innocence to be wiped away by this pure disrespect of life.

Swallowing his emotions, Sesshomaru regained his stone-cold war lord demeanor. Nothing it seemed had been spared in the blast. Hiroshima wasn't even the most strategic point to use this new weapon on. From what Sesshomaru knew, it housed maybe two or three military defense bases. If they wanted to destroy those, they could have easily with a less powerful bomb.

No, this wasn't meant to destroy a few military bases, it almost looked like it was a message.

"Don't mess with us or we will show no mercy."

The humans had developed a weapon that showed no discrimination in what it killed. It simply destroyed.

It made Sesshomaru sick with hatred.

He had seen enough. He had gathered all that he could gather for the time being. It began to head back towards the portal between the human world and his when something caught his eye.

A hoard of long eel like youkai flew slowly overhead. Their insect like legs extended as they neared a soul, snatching it up and trying to fly away. Sesshomaru flexed his hand, extending his venomous whip, cleanly slicing the youkai in half, allowing the soul to slowly flutter away.

He had not been aware that any other Kami was purifying souls from this area, no soul collecting youkai except the messengers should even be in the area right now.

The rest of the soul collectors having seen what happened to their kin heeded the warning and flew away from the vicinity. For now, they'd stay away. He had to get back and discuss this with his father.

* * *

It had been hours since the events that took place in the garden. Sesshomaru had still not returned and it was becoming dark outside. Inuyasha was getting bored of sitting around watching the sleeping girl and now found himself on the balcony outside of her room. He was sitting down with his chin on the railing like a ragdoll counting the messengers of the underworld to pass time. His ears twitched each time he heard the comatose girl move, rustling the heavy sheets around her.

He cursed when he lost count somewhere around 813. He was going to be here all night at this rate. Unwilling to resume his counting game he stood up, a red mark had formed under his chin from the pressure. He stretched out the stiffness in his legs and made his way back into the room, closing the door softly behind him.

He padded directly to the sleeping body in the oversized bed. He stared down at her like a parent might look down on a child who was about to be punished.

"It's been nearly 12 hours. How long ya plan on sleeping?" He patronized the unconscious kami. He dropped down so he was eye level with her, balancing on the balls of his bare feet. "This is boring. I have much better things to do than babysit some lazy brat."

As if responding to his chastisement Kagome stirred in her sleep, her eyes pinching closed as she groaned.

"It's about time ya woke up, damn." He continued, urging her to stir out of her slumber even further.

He wasn't expecting the sudden soft pain that shot through his nose when Kagome punched him. He pinched it in defense as he glared daggers at her as she settled down.

"Gif-me five more minutes…" she mumbled into the blankets before turning over so her back was facing a now very pissed-off Inuyasha.

"Fine, have it your way! Sleep the whole century away while you're at it! See if I give a damn!" He yelled at her now, uncaring if he woke her up and half hoping he did.

He deflated when her breathing returned to shallow rhythmic breaths, indicating she had fallen into her comatose yet again. He dropped to the floor, clenching his teeth in frustration.  _You're lucky I love you mother or else she'd be drenched in ice cold water by now._

He stared at the swirling stars outside the window, watching as they dipped and rose with the aurora borealis like lights the ascending souls produced. His ear twitched as he heard Kagome shuffle in bed. This was going to be a long night.


	4. Beware the Kami

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is one big :I won't know what I'm writing but I'm going to write it anyways!"

_"You are one thing only. You are a Divine Being. An all-powerful Creator. You are a Deity in jeans and a t-shirt, and within you dwells the infinite wisdom of the ages and the sacred creative force of All that is, will be and ever was."_  
― Anthon St. Maarten, Divine Living: The Essential Guide To Your True Destiny

* * *

_The timing was perfect - some may say too perfect. It was like God himself was on her side. She wouldn't waste the opportunity he presented her._

_It wasn't by chance that she was in the city of Hiroshima that morning. She had heard rumours that he would be patrolling the area that day. The man who once served as her Inugami; Inuyasha._

_Her years spent with the youkai men had not gone to waste. She learned how to conceal her scent and their little soul-purifying factory had been the perfect place to experiment with the souls uninterrupted. Her carelessness back then is what got her exiled. But none of that mattered. She would have her revenge on them all. It was only a matter of time._

_She would have Inuyasha back. He could avoid her all he wanted, but she would have him back. That too, was only a matter of time._

_She had been collecting souls slowly over the centuries, experimenting with them undisturbed. She no longer had to fear being caught. The only downside was her access to them had nearly slowed to a halt. Once a week her soul collectors would bring her a new soul. She had learned to make them last, bringing them just to the edge or corruption before bringing them back to near salvation. Eventually their soul would just break, shattering like glass and descending into hell._

_When the bomb went off, she was like a child in a candy store. Never before had she seen so many souls in one place. The messengers the kami used couldn't keep up with the sudden overdraft. She watched in manic fascination, barely containing her excitement. She followed Inuyasha, watching his every move from the shadows._

_As soon as she left, she overflowed with joy. Uncaring, she released all of her soul collectors at once. This was her chance, all those years of experimenting; she would finally have her chance._

_The humans had unknowingly handed her an army._

* * *

Kagome had been drifting in a dreamless sleep for the entirety of the night. She felt disconnected, like she was floating in a sensory deprivation tank. Her memory felt hazy, like there was some sort of block set up within her mind. She was aware that something tragic had occurred, but what? Trying to push at the block only gave her a splitting headache. She had heard about this phenomenon in school once. When something extremely tragic happens sometimes the brain would induce amnesia to keep itself sane. Was that what happened?

Kagome wanted to know where she was. Was she at home? She felt warm; perhaps she was still in bed. If she was, how come no one's come to wake her up yet? Her eyes felt weighed down as she tried to open them, only managing to keep them half-lidded. The world was much too bright causing her eyes to water and everything blurred out of focus. She felt sluggish and weak but tried to move anyways to no avail. Her muscles felt like ten ton bricks and the effort only made her dizzy.

Slowly the world around her started to materialize and she was no longer floating in nothingness as her body began to wake up. She was aware of the plush material beneath her, perhaps a mattress? There was a soft, warm weight on top of her, a blanket? She could smell lilacs and lavender mixed with fresh air and she could hear faint mumbling slowly becoming clearer echoing around her.

"… if she turns out like  _her_  I will not hesitate to rip out your throat." A monotone male voice Kagome didn't recognize rang through her ears. She gazed over in the sounds direction but could only make out a blurred white blob standing next to a vivid red blur.

"I'm getting real tired of your threats to kill me, Sesshomaru." Another deep male voice cut in, his serious tone was colder than the monotone one. "If you're going to kill me, get it over with. Otherwise you can leave."

Footsteps, then the sound of a sliding shoji door, "I'm watching you, hanyou." The monotone voice of the white man warned before the door closed behind him.

"Keh, Like I care."

Kagome tested opening her eyes, wincing as they adjusted to the intense light and allowing her to see in more detail. She could finally confirm what she already guessed – she was not in a hospital. The room was more ornate than anything she had ever seen before. The walls were a smooth cherry wood with delicate engravings along the middle. There were depictions of spirits and youkai that Kagome recognized from ancient paintings all around the upper half of the walls. The bed itself was made of a rich dark wood that's posts raised nearly to the ceiling. A blood red silk tapestry hung over the bedposts, tied back to keep the bed open. The heavy burgundy blanket around her was also extremely detailed with cherry blossoms sewn throughout it. Suddenly Kagome felt extremely out of place. She had lived her whole life at her shrine, and although some may call even that lavish, her home was nothing more than middle class.

Then her eyes fell on the red blur standing by the shoji door. He was slowly coming into focus. He, like most everything else in the room was a deep red wearing a red haori and matching hakama. He stood at what she guessed was about 6 feet tall, even as he was currently slouched against the wall. He had long white hair, even longer than her own. His skin was beautifully sun kissed, emphasized by his red garb. He had his face turned to the side showing off a strong jaw line and, were those dog ears?

"It's about you fricken' woke up" his harsh voice broke the silence.

Kagome felt the blood rush to her face as she realized she was staring. She quickly shut her eyes, hoping he didn't notice.

"Oi, don't pretend to be asleep now. I can hear your heartbeat."

_Hear my heartbeat? What the heck does that mean?_

Kagome forced her eyes open again since there was obviously no point in trying to fake sleep. Her eyes adjusted to the harsh light much quicker this time to reveal he was looking directly at her. His piercing golden eyes only made her heart beat faster; not only from the sheer beauty of him, but also the uneasy feeling around him. He wasn't human; and wherever she was  _definitely_  wasn't Hiroshima.

She tried testing her limbs again with no success. "W-where am I?" She questioned lamely, just barely audible to even herself. She felt like some cliché damsel in distress straight out of a fairy tale. She was completely at the mercy of her captor, confused and broken.

"The border between this world and the next." The man answered nonchalantly shocking Kagome. How had he heard her when she could barely even hear herself?  _Well, he did say he could hear my heartbeat,_  she answered herself.

Without warning the shoji door flew open, revealing the most regal woman Kagome had ever seen. She was wearing a heavy kimono considering it was early August, yet it didn't seem to weigh her down at all. All the layers were made of vibrant pinks, yellows, blues and greens, all embroidered with an array of flowers. Her long shiny hair cascaded around her in perfect ringlets. She had a superior air about her that screamed of her high status, yet she was still kind and motherly.

Suddenly her surroundings started to make sense and seem less intimidating. She was most likely in a castle of some sorts… but at the border between this world and the next? The revelation calmed Kagome only slightly. At least she wasn't in  _immediate_  danger.

"Inuyasha, I hope you didn't choose this room with any ulterior motives." The woman spoke in a smooth, silk like voice.

"Keh. It was only so I could sleep alone and keep an ear for when she finally woke the hell up." The man she called Inuyasha responded with a sneer, looking away.

"You're a terrible liar, Inuyasha." The royal woman replied, poking at his cheek before turning to face Kagome with a warm smile. "I apologize for whatever my son may have said or done before I arrived, dear. He's not the most… how should I put it… Tame."

"Oi!" Inuyasha interjected at his mother's choice of words. He had half a mind to tell her off, but the other half feared for his manhood should he say anything else.

"No, it's okay" Kagome rasped out breaking up their domestic quarrel.

Izayoi took full notice of the girl in the oversized bed, her previous worries with Inuyasha's living arrangements momentarily set aside; although she would definitely have to give her son a stern talking to later. She wanted to push his buttons and get him close to her, and making it seem forbidden would do just that knowing her son.

She seemingly floated towards Kagome, her poise and grace suiting of her status.

"Oh, how rude of me! My name is Izayoi, I'm a kami here. That snarky man over there is my son, Inuyasha." Izayoi leaned in closer to Kagome and whispered (despite knowing full well he would hear regardless), "Don't let him scare you, he's really a softy deep down under that  _scary_  scowl"

Kagome flicked her eyes towards the man in question. Sure enough, he was eyeing Izayoi with eyes that could kill. Turning back to the woman at her bed she put on the best smile she could, remembering her manners. "My name is Kagome. I'm sorry to burden you."

Izayoi put on the most motherly face Kagome had ever seen, even rivaling her own. "Not at all, dear! We're actually thankful you're here!"

"Thankful... I'm here?" Kagome asked confused. Surely she was wasting their time and resources. She couldn't even move from where she lay, why would they have any reason to be thankful to her?"

"That's right… I guess you were unconscious…" Izayoi corrected herself awkwardly, bringing a finger to her pink lips in recollection. "Long story short, we owe you." She said with a warm smile. "Anyways, enough about that! How are you feeling? Did you sleep good, dear?"

"I guess you could say that… How long was I out?" Kagome asked.

"28 freakin' hours." Inuyasha interjected annoyed. Izayoi faced him and he could feel his balls recede into him for cover.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter. My job here is done." He said coldly, trying to regain a shred of the masculinity his mother just chopped off of him. He slid the shoji screen open hard and made his 'dramatic' exit, closing the screen with a slam. He took two steps and quickly padded into his own room, listening in to make sure his mother wasn't talking about embarrassing baby stories or whatever mothers talked about when they wanted to embarrass their sons.

"Well, at least that stick in the mud is out." Izayoi said after his little show.

"Was it something I did?" Kagome questioned. She had just met him yet she felt like she wronged him somehow.

"Oh, not at all love. That's just the way he is. He keeps everyone at arms length. I don't even know what goes on in that silver head of his." She confessed sorrowfully. "Oh, there I go again! Don't worry about me, I'm here to fuss over you! Is there anything you want? You must be hungry. I've already called for the cook to make some stew. Do you like stew?"

"Uh… Y-yea – I mean – Yes." Kagome sputtered, trying her hardest not to offend the woman.

"Please, don't try to be so formal with me. We're of the same class. You're a Kami just as I am." Izayoi said. "Now, pardon me for asking, but you've seemed rather… stiff this whole time. Is something paining you?"

"Oh… um, I guess? I can't really move, my whole body feels like one big brick." Kagome confessed.

"You should've said something sooner, dear!" Izayoi reprimanded Kagome, though Kagome couldn't figure our why. There was nothing she could've done so why would she speak up about it?

Izayoi sat down gingerly beside Kagome and cupped her face with her cold hands. She let her spiritual powers flow through her and into Kagome. Kagome could feel the ache in her muscles slowly fade as the warm light radiated through her veins.

"It's a healing aura." Izayoi said, sensing Kagome's confusion. "And you can do it too, in fact, probably even better than I can."

Izayoi removed her hands from Kagome's face and helped her to sit up.

"I can do that too?" Kagome breathed, shaken by what had just happened.

I guess it's time for an explanation, huh?" Izayoi smiled, placing a hand on Kagome's. "Hmm… Where should I start?

"Kami, at least our class of Kami, are all originally human – usually young, virgin, females. They are chosen by Deity Midoriko due to an exemplarity act of care towards human life leading to death. After death, they receive a vision of Nirvana – or Heaven – to test their selflessness, but it also serves as a method to help us purify wandering souls. By showing them our visions of Nirvana we open a path to their heart, allowing us to purify the soul."

Kagome listened to Izayoi's explanation with interest, almost like a child listening to a fairy tale. "How many of us are there?" Kagome asked when Izayoi took a break.

"There are thousands of kami in this world, each tasked with a different job to assist the humans. There are those that listen to prayers to be later delivered to Heaven, some that grant the wishes of the pure hearted, others that push humans to fall in love. Our class of kami - shinigami - is one of the rarest. There are four of us in Japan: about 10 in the mainland, four in both North and South America to make a total of eight, three in the Oceania's and five across Europe. We typically purify souls that belong to our respective area's, but there are few instances where there is such a mass influx of souls that they need to be transferred."

"You mentioned there are four in Japan, are they all here?" Kagome asked again.

"Three of us reside here. Myself, you and a third, Rin, whom you will be meeting shortly, I'm sure. The fourth used to reside here. To tell you the truth, I don't know what happened to her. I'd suggest you don't bring it up, it's a rather sensitive subject here."

Kagome made a mental note of that. "So then, what does that make Inuyasha?"

"Inuyasha is a youkai… or rather, a hanyou." Izayoi added as an after thought.

"A youkai? As in a demon?"

"I suppose I should explain this too. There are two types of youkai. The first is what I guess you could call fallen angels. Although, technically yes, they are demons, they are not all bad. They are still bound by God's given duty, and as such they cannot harm humans or kami. My husband, my stepson and Inuyasha all fall in this category. They are inu-youkai – inugami – tasked with serving the kami. Fiercely loyal, almost to a fault, they will do anything you ask of them; even kill.

Of course, there are other breeds of youkai, wolf youkai, bat youkai, you name it, it probably exists. They all have their own purpose and most serve kami directly while others perform the more… violent tasks given by god.

Then, there are youkai born of human malice and greed. Back when I was alive, these youkai roamed the earth like knats. It was a time of constant fear, famine and war. Women would go missing constantly; men would be slaughtered in their fields. Entire villages would be demolished simply because it was in those youkai's path. The difference between youkai born of heaven and youkai born of man in they are not bound by God. They can wreak havoc upon the living and are nearly unstoppable. That is where we come in. We purify the human soul, removing the clock that will turn it youkai and send it to heaven to be judged. Those who are not purified are sent straight to the underworld to be sorted and punished.

Then there are Oni. Oni are evil demons born of malice in the human heart after death. That is what we are trying to prevent.

You see Kagome, that is why out job is so important. God never wanted the human soul to be corrupted the way it is. We make it so that the lingering malice of the human heart cannot harm the living or even themselves."

Kagome looked down at her hands. She was just a simple school girl who helped at her family's dingy shrine. Why had she been chosen for such an important task? She suddenly felt incredibly small and powerless. People's lives where in her hands when she could hardly even remember to feed her cat half the time.

"I know it's a lot to take in; but I promise you, you're not alone in this. We're here to help." Izayoi said with a warm, motherly smile. "Now! If you're up to it, how about a tour of the estate? It'll be good to stretch your legs. Besides, I'm dying to have you try on this kimono, so I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."

Kagome looked at the fabric that Izayoi had been holding this entire time. It looked heavy and far too extravagant for a simple girl like her. She allowed Izayoi to help her out of her chamber of a bed regardless, instantly regretting leaving her heavy blankets when a harsh chill swept through her.

"Why is it so cold!" Kagome gasped, barely able to stop her teeth from chattering together.

"Our souls are human, just minus the human body. Our flesh acted like a barrier, protecting our delicate souls from the outside world. Think of it as a vehicle that our soul drives, allowing us to exist in the physical plane. You've left that car and are now completely open to the elements in this spiritual plane. Your blankets and our kimono's are made to emulate what a human body does. I promise you the worse part is putting it on, after that you'll be nice and warm and fuzzy!" Izayoi chirped after her sad explanation. Kagome wished she would have just given her a book. At least then if she needed a refresher she could just flip to chapter three instead of having it look like she wasn't paying attention. Giddily Izayoi led Kagome over to the screen so she could play human dress up with her, Kagome dreading every second of it.

* * *

"You're sure it was her?" InuTaisho asked his elder son. His back was towards the white body as he stared out his massive window.

"I'm positive. You had not yet sent out the request and there are no other kami in all of Japan. There is no one else who would be collecting souls." Sesshomaru stated, all business.

"I see." InuTaisho sighed, turning to face his son. "This is the first time in just as many moons we have heard of her. I guess it was foolish to think she had perished."

"I can call for the wolf youkai to search the grounds of former Hiroshima for any traces of her." Sesshomaru proposed.

InuTaisho seemed to consider this for a while before speaking again. "No. I am sure she is already gone. She had hidden herself from us for all these years, I'm certain she has developed some kind of glamour to hide herself from us. Does Inuyasha know of this?"

"If he knows he has not said anything. I have not told him."

"Your brother was harmed by her more than the rest of us. If he knew of this he would not keep silent. I am, however, concerned of the new kami. The timing is too big of a coincidence. The two even share a likeness." InuTaisho breathed, setting himself down into his chair as rigid as a stone as the realization dawned on him.

To anyone else, InuTaisho's posture and tone would have been off putting, maybe even threatening, but to Sesshomaru who was equally, if not more rigid as his father it was almost endearing.

"I have already spoken to my half-brother and warned him of the implications should anything arise."

"Until then we just need to keep a close watch on the girl." InuTaisho said coldly. Sesshomaru simply returned his stone glare with one of his own - like father like son. Without another word, Sesshomaru dismissed himself, setting straight towards the garden in long, powerful strides.

* * *

Rin sat amongst the flowers at the centre of the garden, humming an unknown tune to herself lazily. The fireflies around her danced happily to her song as she worked, sending them one by one into the glowing river at her heel. The mass of souls had certainly died down as now half of the flow was being directed elsewhere in the world. The souls that floated through as a result of the disaster still pulled at her heart. Slowly, she had begun to piece what happened together through the bits and pieces of memories from multiple souls.

It baffled her why the humans would create such a weapon, and confused her even further as to why they would use it on a civilian city. Rin was aware that the world was at war – for the second time might she add – but she still saw no justifiable reason for such a pure disregard of human life.

She found herself humming her tune considerably louder at her anger. She tried to think of something more positive, but the only thing her mind conjured up was the new kami. Never before had Rin seen such immense spiritual power. Not even from Izayoi. A part of Rin wanted to idolize the girl, surely having her around would lighten the load considerably. But another small part of her was jealous. The girl was powerful and beautiful and sure to draw mass attention to herself, and Rin found herself wanting to be the one to receive such attention. Not only that, but she bore an uncanny resemblance to  _her_ , but that could be dismissed as coincidence. It had been nearly 400 years since Rin last heard of  _her_ , so surely she had no reason to worry.

Besides that, some childish side of Rin just wanted to the remain the youngest among their fold. She would no longer be the newest kami. She almost felt like how an elder child would react when they are told they are going to have a little brother or sister.

Caught in her self pity, Rin barely managed to purify a soul before its greed overtook its passive form, transforming it into an oni. She breathed out a heavy sigh of relief imagining the scolding she just avoided with her overprotective inugami.

As if summoned by her thoughts, said inugami barged into the garden making Rin jump.

"Sheesh Sessy, a warning or at least a knock would be much appreciated!" Rin chastised playfully. Brushing off her words, he ghosted over to her with demonic speeds. Rin hurriedly finished purifying the few remaining souls so they were truly alone. She hated neglecting her duties and swore to word twice as hard later, but it had been a long night leading into day and she missed her cold inugami.

Most people would think she was crazy for loving him, she thought she was too some times. He was cold and distant, but mysterious and dangerous. Rin had always been drawn to him from the second he found her as a kami. His heart was so hard and cold, she found herself seeking out his company. She just felt like he was meant for her and that she was the only one who could melt his icy heart. She was his gentle flame, slowly inching closer and closer through the void until she made small cracks.

Smiling at her beloved inugami, he leaned down and enveloped her in a tight embrace.

"I'm so sorry you had to witness that destruction. If I could I would slaughter all those who made your job necessary." He breathed into her ear in a cold voice. She knew he would act on his words if he wasn't bound to his duty. He wouldn't hesitate to kill God if it meant Rin could maintain her innocence.

"Oh Sesshomaru, you know we couldn't be together if the world wasn't the way it is." She said softly, stroking his long, silver hair. It was moments like these that made the centuries of work worth it. These small, tender moments only they shared. If she could stop time she would, but having eternity together would have be good enough.

She felt him ghost a kiss on top of her head, just barely there, but Rin knew that he was too calculated and precise to have bumped her by accident. He held her at arms length, staring her dead in the eyes. "You are to be careful around the new kami." He ordered. Knowing better than to argue or ask why, Rin simply nodded. The only other time he had been this cautious was with  _her_ , and that was after years of suspicion.

Whatever he feared about the new kami had to be warranted in some way whether she saw it or not.

* * *

Kagome sat in the estates massive dining room slowly eating Izayoi's promised stew. It was better than anything she had ever tasted before, the ingredients obviously all high quality.

She just glad to get off her feet. They had been walking around the massive building for hours. Although she had been given plush warm slippers, her feet still ached from the new heaviness that hung over her frame. She was used to light clothing, not the draping winter kimono that she was currently sporting. Although Kagome did have to admit it was just her style. It was a light jade-emerald green with small blue birds embroidered throughout the train. She wore a blue overcoat that faded into yellow towards the bottom giving the impression of the stages of the sky throughout the day. It was all held up by a yellow obi with square like symbols sewn into it in random places. Although the fabric was as heavy as it looked, she was glad she could move around and not feel like she was swimming through a frozen lake.

Izayoi had been happily spewing about its history and who had spent the night here before including the exact room they had stayed in. By what she had said, the home used to be much busier than it currently was. Dust was collecting in many of the guest rooms, a stark difference from the immaculate hallways.

Expensive antique looking paintings and murals adorned seemingly every wall. Izayoi mentioned something about it telling the tale of youkai and kami, along with their own family history which Kagome only half listened to.

Her mind was occupied with Izayoi's previous explanation of kami and why they existed. However, whenever Kagome tried to ask further questions they were quickly redirected or flat out ignored. Apparently what she was told was the best she was going to get.

A small bird like woman hobbled into the dining room with a small cart topped with tea and various pastries. The bird woman happily served Izayoi but was visibly more on edge when she came near Kagome. The bird woman quickly poured her tea and placed a small platter of tarts in front of her and scurried away, not even bothering to say goodbye.

This wasn't the first servant to have treated Kagome this way either. Almost all of the varying animal-esque servants hushed when she passed, whispering among themselves like schoolgirls. It made Kagome extremely self-conscious. Izayoi tried to reassure her that it only because she was a new face but she knew better. Their whispers were not one of gossiping about the new transfer kami, but that of malicious banter.

Vaguely, Kagome became aware of the motherly figure beside her calling her name. "Oh, sorry. Guess I'm still kind of tired," Kagome quickly sputtered.

"That's alright. I was just mentioning how next I plan to introduce you to the other inhabitants. You've already met Inuyasha, but I'd like for you to meet Sesshomaru, Rin and my husband before the day is over."

"Speaking of Inuyasha, I really hope I didn't make a bad impression on him… I feel like I already did something to offend him." Kagome confessed lamely. She had always hated when people didn't like her.

"Oh no, dear, don't worry about him. It was all my fault. I asked for him to watch over you. Normally the child only obeys orders – even mine – for a short period of time; but he stayed with you until you woke up. He was also the one who found you. Believe me, if he didn't like you, you'd know." Izayoi smiled.

That lifted Kagome's spirit just an inch. She could feel the cold stares of the servants even now ripping a hole in her back. As welcome as Izayoi was trying to make her feel, she knew her reception wasn't exactly as accepting. Suddenly she felt anxious about meeting the other heads of the household.

"You'll love Rin. She's around your age… well, in human years. She died when she was 18 but I guess that was about 431 years ago. Somewhere around that number, anyways." Izayoi trailed off.

"Wait, so she's been alive… well, sort of alive, for over 400 years? How old are you?" Kagome asked a little too enthusiastically, blushing when she realized she just asked how old the woman was; a big no-no.

Izayoi let out a small girlish giggle. "I don't even remember. I lost count around a thousand."

Kagome's blush deepened. "Ohmygosh I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to be so blunt! It's just… You look so young!"

"You're too cute." Izayoi chuckled, "We remain the age we were at our death for all eternity. I will never age, neither will Rin, neither will you anymore."

Finishing the rest of their meal in silence, they both sat up and Kagome was pushed passed the scurrying servants who were busy returning the space to its previous pristine glory, only stopping to judgingly glance her way.

* * *

Izayoi closed the door to InuTaisho's office silently, only letting out her held breath in one big sigh once it clicked closed. Kagome let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding in simultaneously. The two girls looked at each other awkwardly.

"I apologize for my husband. I should have mentioned he's not... well… accustomed to humans or our ways."

"Oh my, I thought I'd die in there. I've never felt more obligated to stand straighter in my life." Kagome breathed out, still trying to refill her aching lungs.

The two continued their venture through the seemingly endless halls of the estate, Izayoi continuing her tour guide façade as they passed each door. Kagome followed closely behind, eyeing one particular door that they were closely approaching. It was the largest door she'd seen all day. It had flowers and trees carved into it, a small stream flowing through the middle.

When Izayoi ghosted passed the door without saying a word, Kagome finally spoke up. Izayoi turned around to face her, startled.

"Oh, that's the garden. You'll be well acquainted with it soon. For now, do not enter. You're not ready yet." She said sadly, continuing her steady stroll towards Kagome's room.

InuTaisho had told them that Sesshomaru and Rin had gone to their wing for the night and had promised to introduce themselves in the morning. Kagome was ready for her tour to be over. Exploring the estate had taken all day and she was more than ready to crash. She was drained both mentally and physically, although much more the former. All of Izayoi's explanations weighed on her mind like ten ton bricks.

Finally, much to Kagome's relief, they were nearing the end of the hallway. Only two doors remained and Kagome could feel her bed calling out to her with a sirens song.

Izayoi stopped in front of the second door from the end of the hall. "Here we are, your new home. Thus concludes our tour."

"Thank you for showing me around Izayoi. I don't think I'll remember all those twists and turns any time soon though." Kagome blushed.

"Don't worry about it dear. If you need anything else, Inuyasha is right over there." She said, pointing to the last door in the hallway. "Just call. He'll hear you. Anyways, I better get back to my husband. Sleep tight dear!"

Kagome had no objections to that. Never before in her life had she ever felt this worn out. She looked at her door already imagining how good it would feel to finally lay down and let everything sink in. Izayoi hadn't told her the details of her death (if she even knew of them... mind you, Kagome hadn't bothered to ask either.) and the fate of her family nagged at her insistently. She figured they were all alright, probably grieving her death at home safe and sound.

Just as she was about to push aside the shoji screen leading to her new humble abode a shadow passed over her neighbours' own screen. Kagome turned to the neighbouring door. No wonder Izayoi had made a comment on her own living arrangements. They were the only two in their own wing of the manor. Servants and other life seemed to only make it's way down this wing if absolutely needed. Kagome was sure that if she were to be murdered by a certain hanyou she wouldn't be found for days. Could a dead person be killed again? She'd have to ask Izayoi later.

"Inuyasha?" She called out to the room's inhabitant. Izayoi had told her that he stayed with her while she was unconscious the whole time. Kagome felt terrible for putting him out of his way, and he stormed out before she could even hear what had happened much less thank him.

The screen slid open without any warning, causing Kagome to jump. The sight before her made her face turn a bright red and she suddenly found herself grateful for the dark blanket the hallway provided.

He was much taller than her leaving her eye level with his chest which was currently unprotected by any form of fabric. His body was toned and refined, suited for a warrior. He radiated a heat that Kagome could feel against her cold face even though there was a good body width of distance between them. She craned her head upwards, following the mountains and valleys of his body until she finally arrived at his face. His golden sunset eyes were drilling into her with an intensity she was completely unfamiliar with. She felt like he was undressing her with his eyes, making her shiver.

Suddenly she thought that maybe thanking him alone was a bad idea.

"What?" He barked out, his harsh tone a total juxtaposition from the sweetness of his form. It was as if he knew the effect he could have and he enjoyed watching her get flustered in her presence.

Whatever the cause for his rude attitude, Kagome wasn't going to have it.

"Look, I realize you might be mad at me for having to stand guard but that wasn't my fault so don't take it out on me!" Kagome snapped causing him to flinch back and give her a quizzical look. As if he was intrigued at her little display or annoyed by it, she couldn't read him for the life of her.

"And here I was trying to thank you too." She finished, whether to stop from further offending him or to stop playing into his games, she felt she had done her job for now.

He looked away from her, as if the wall to his left suddenly grew a face and was a thousand times more interesting than her. She couldn't see it, but his face was starting to redden just the slightest bit as well.

"Keh, whatever." He said harshly before turning and shutting the door in her face. For a brief moment she though she could see long white lines along his back.

Kagome stormed over to her own room and plopped herself down on her humongous bed.

She didn't know why he made her so agitated and annoyed at even the smallest act. She had been treated rudely before and had no problem brushing it off. But just a sound and that one little word had her kicking and screaming. Yet she still found herself wanting to be near him. Something in her heart told her of a painful history that only she could mend.

Her mind was racing with both anger and confusion of the knowledge she gained throughout the day. In just one day she turned from a normal 18 year old to a spirit purifying shinigami. She was dead, she had no idea how she died or even what became of her family, and now she had to deal with  _him._

She sat on her bed, uncaring of throwing on her covers or even trying to put on a nightgown. She didn't even notice when she fell into a restless sleep.


	5. Bitter Past

"Stab the body and it heals, but injure the heart and the wound lasts a lifetime."  
―  **Mineko Iwasaki**

* * *

Inuyasha couldn't sleep.

He had been awake since 6 a.m the day before. He was tired, sure, but his mind couldn't stop racing with thoughts of that new girl.

Her scent was all over his haori, giving him pleasant bursts of her presence even though she was long gone in the twisting maze of the mansion he called home. He had developed a severe case of restless leg syndrome and found himself pacing across his room more often than not.

What was it about her that made him so hot and bothered? He felt like those stupid middle school kids who saw a girl and fell head over heels for them in that same instant. He cursed at himself for stooping so low.

When he could no longer hear the two kami chatting or the soft pads of their slippered feet, his anxiety only intensified. Each wing of the house was made with both kami's safety and youkai's privacy in mind. Each wing had equal distance to the main garden and was just the right distance to be heard from each wing. However, beyond that was far enough to not be heard by the inu-youkai's sensitive hearing. There were three wings in all; one for each inugami to guard over.

Sesshomaru's little warning earlier suddenly weighted on Inuyasha's mind. The new kami – who he heard say her name was Kagome – was now out of his territory and within enemy grounds. Sesshomaru had made it clear that she bore too much resemblance to Inuyasha's first bitch of a kami that he would not hesitate to kill her the second even a hair brushed against Rin. He was sure his father wouldn't hesitate either, although he doubted the elder youkai would be so open about it.

Inuyasha's pacing quickened and he was sure if he didn't burn off this energy soon he'd burn a rut in his floor. He reminded himself that Sesshomaru wouldn't try anything with his mother at her side, but then again, when was Sesshomaru ever one to care about where or when he killed someone? He'd murdered numerous of their old guests for simply looking at Rin the wrong way. What was to stop him from doing the same to Kagome?

"Aw fuck it!" He audibly cursed. Standing around was doing nothing but wearing down his floor. He needed to let off some steam. This girl was occupying too much of his mind and he would not allow her that luxury. He barreled out of his room and went straight to his fathers' office. He would demand work, no matter what it was, so long as it got him out of the damn house.

It wasn't long until he was on his way to the wolf-youkai territories to collect reports. It wasn't the worst thing he could have done. It would only take him a few hours and it had an added bonus. Inuyasha's childhood friend, Koga was in charge of the department in question. It would make the whole process go by much quicker and maybe he'd even get a sparring match in to boot.

* * *

When Inuyasha arrived he was greeted by hoards of frantic wolfs going every which way. It was chaos. In the middle of the discord was Koga sporting a grey human-business suit rather than his usual traditional wolf garb. He was desperately trying to maintain order and failing miserably.

"Yo, bad timing?" Inuyasha said as he shoved his way through the stinking bodies towards his old friend.

"Not at all." Kouga answered as he shoved an assistant asides who was waving new reports in the wolf-youkai's face. "This is light compared to yesterday. Come, let's go somewhere quieter. I'm getting a damn migraine."

Inuyasha had no objections. He hated the raw reek of the wolves. Kouga wasn't much better, but it was better than the thousands of wet-dog scents that was currently invading his nostrils.

"What's new, dog brains?" Kouga asked over the crescendo of voices.

"Just the usual, got a new kami I gotta babysit though."

"She hot?" Kouga teased as he reached a large wooden door.

"Hands off pal." Inuyasha snarled back, avoiding the question completely.

"But in all seriousness," Kouga changing the topic immediately at his friends dismissal, "why the hell would InuTaisho send you?" Kouga asked as soon as the door to his overly lavish office clicked shut. The room had an intense brown, earthy theme going on and sported large oak tables, desks and bookshelves alongside large, overstuffed leather chairs.

Inuyasha plopped himself down onto on of the seats, kicking his bare feet up over armrest. "Ya got a problem with that, wolf breath?"

"It just seems reckless of him. It's a sensitive topic for you in particular, mutt." Kouga spat back jokingly.

"The fuck that supposed to mean? I ain't no push over. I know what happened in the human world. I was at ground-fucking-zero. What the fuck could you have found that I would find "sensitive" wolf-brains?"

Kouga swallowed hard. He was debating with himself whether or not he should just come out and say it, risking his life, or wait until Inuyasha read the report himself and ran back to kill him anyways.

"Well?" Inuyasha cut in noticing Kouga's hesitation, "What the fu-"

"We think we found Kikyou."

Inuyasha was at his throat in an instant, lifting Kouga a foot off the ground. His nails dug into Kouga's soft flesh, drawing crimson pearls that streamed down Inuyasha's hand.

"You  _what_." Inuyasha growled.

Kouga suddenly understood why InuTaisho would send Inuyasha. He wanted to spare his own ass from his out lash (and at Kouga's expense).

Smart and calculating, as always.

"Look, I'm not any good to you dead. Put me down man and we'll talk this out like adults, yeah?" He said calmly, seemingly unfazed by the position he found himself in.

Inuyasha dropped his friend who quickly righted himself. Every muscle in Inuyasha's body was tense and ready to kill if needed.

He had thought Kikyou was dead. he  _wanted_  her dead. After what she did to his mother, to Rin, to  _him_  she  _deserved_  to die. It took every ounce of his will to not run out there and kill her himself.

Kouga, sensing what Inuyasha was thinking,

placed himself strategically between Inuyasha and the door.

"Look, man, I understand how you feel-"

"No you fucking don't." Inuyasha snapped.

"Okay, I can guess how you feel, but we don't know for sure if it was her or not. For all we know it could be another rogue kami or whatever. Running out there in a blind, murderous rage will only end up like the last time. I'm sure your father doesn't want to renovate another wing of your estate... again. Just stay calm."

"Stay calm? Stay fucking  _calm?!_  I am calm!" Inuyasha yelled as his fist made contact with some abstract art piece, effectively shattering it. "Why the _fuck_  wouldn't I be calm?! The bitch who  _only_  destroyed me is potentially out there, alive, and you're telling me to stay CALM?"

"You know you'd be playing right into her fucking hands if you went out there, Inuyasha. Is that what you want? To just throw your freedom, your life into the bitch's hands?"

"Well then what the hell do you suggest I do then, huh?" Inuyasha responded somewhat calmer just to Kouga's pleasure.

"Just leave it to us. Don't worry about her."

"So you want me to just sit on my ass and do nothing, is that it? I'm not a weakling like you all seem to think I am. None of you know Kikyou like I do, you don't know what she's capable of like I do."

"I have a pretty decent idea. I was on that squad that tried to subdue you last time. But she has a hold on you. You don't know if her old spells are still active or not. The last thing we need is you going feral on us the second she gets too close." Kouga said, "Just please, Inuyasha, you know I want you in on this, I really do. But for now it's better you butt out."

"Fine, I'll stay out for now. But the second I catch a whiff of her disgusting scent I'm not holding back."

"I wouldn't expect you to." Koga confessed. "Now here's the report. Tell InuTaisho not to use me as his messenger next time something like this comes up. I shouldn't be the one to calm your stupid ass down, mutt."

"Oh, I'm telling him way more than that." Inuyasha cursed as he snatched the paper from Kouga's hands and left the office without another word.

* * *

Inuyasha made it back to the estate in record time. He headed straight towards his father's office, kicking open the doors and ripping a new hole into the paper wall.

InuTaisho didn't even lift his head from the letter he was scribing. "Do you have it?"

"What the fuck do you know about Kikyou." Was all Inuyasha said in response. He didn't even care about his language, tone or posture. For once, he was setting out to intimidate his father, not the other way around.

"I see Kouga told you." InuTaisho said coolly, finally lifting his eyes to look at his infuriated son. He had expected this out burst; you could see it on his face. "In all truth, nothing. Your brother advised me against it but I felt you had the right to know."

"Well thanks for fucking considering my feelings. I'm so flattered, father-dearest." Inuyasha snorted back. He couldn't see the point in being told any of this.

"You should know we have reservations against the Kami you brought in." InuTaisho answered, seemingly reading his sons mind.

"What about her?" Inuyasha shot back, "Don't we need all the help we can get? You saw what she can do!"

"Exactly. It's too convenient."

"The fuck does that mean? She ain't Kikyou! Why the fuck do you all think she's involved with her?" Inuyasha barked.

"Look, son. Just don't worry about it. I'm simply asking for you to keep an eye out on her. If she does anything out of place, or even remotely suspicious, you are to report it to me immediately. You are not to search for Kikyou or leave the grounds without reporting to myself first."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. I'm leaving." Inuyasha breathed as he bounded down the hallway, not even bothering to close the door. He was tired, he was pissed. He just wanted to destroy something, but a nap would have to do for now.

The second he got into his room he plopped down onto his bed. It was barely past midday and his entire world had turned to shit in the span of a few hours. The stress of it all was exhausting. He passed out without even realizing it.

* * *

_It was dusk. The sun was just beginning it's decent below the horizon. Red beams of light streaked through the sky, leaching into the blue and creating a rainbow across the sky._

_It was always Kikyou's favourite time. She would always mention how the red's reminded her of Inuyasha's fiery haori. She would always drag him out to watch the setting sun._

_Today however, Kikyou was no where to be seen._

_Inuyasha perched himself in amongst one of the many trees watching for the woman in question to emerge from her chamber._

_But she never came._

_Inuyasha began to worry. Kikyou was his Kami, he was her servant. It was in his nature to worry about her well-being; even if she never cared about his own._

_Kikyou had always been eccentric, often times to Inuyasha's misfortune. She often liked to experiment. She even made Inuyasha swear himself to secrecy. He hated every day that she would lock him in her room and torture him for hours._

_She said it was to find a way to convert oni back to humsn souls. He didn't doubt it for a second. His stupid inugami blood wouldn't allow him to go against his master._

_He was her dog._

_Inuyasha made his way gingerly towards the sliding shoji of Kikyou's room. He could smell blood which only heightened his anxiety._

_He threw open the screen and rushed inside, his tessaiga ready to be drawn at a moments notice._

_The floor was stained with fresh blood. Three bodies lay lifeless, sprawled morbidly in the pooling blood; his mother, Rin and Kikyou, all unconscious._

_Instinct took over. He rushed to each woman, checking for pulses. His mother… good. Rin… good. Next was Kikyou._

_He leaned down to listen for a pulse and flinched when her hand moved to his face._

" _Inuyasha… Is that you?" She asked, soft and weak._

" _It's me, Kikyou. You're safe now. Do you remember what happened?" he asked her softly._

" _Yes. I was getting ready to meet with you when Izayoi and Rin came into my room. The cornered me. They had knifes. They said they knew what I was doing, that I was tampering with the souls. I told them that wasn't true, but they wouldn't listen. They tried to attack me, so I defended myself." She looked around, as if in a daze. When her eyes fell on the lifeless bodies of Izayoi and Rin, she began to shake violently._

" _Oh my God. Are they… are they… dead?" She asked, shock evident._

_Inuyasha held her closer, petting her bloody hair. "No, the bleeding seems to have stopped and they're still breathing."_

_Kikyou leaned into Inuyasha meekly. "Oh thank God." Kikyou wept, "Inuyasha, can you take me outside? I need some fresh air."_

" _Of course." Inuyasha agreed, almost against his will as he scooped Kikyou tenderly into his arms and led her outside._

" _There's one thing I don't understand though. Why would my mother and Rin try to attack you?" He asked almost as an afterthought as he led Kikyou towards the railing of her balcony. She began to shake slightly in his grip, causing Inuyasha to look down at her. Maybe he shouldn't have opened his big mouth…_

" _Because," Kikyou said, "I have been."_

" _What?" Inuyasha ask stupidly. Kikyou began shaking in his arms again. It was then it hit him. She wasn't crying or shaking from shock._

_She was laughing._

_She looked up at him with the most crazed eyes Inuyasha had ever seen. Even worse than her manic laugh and smile as she tortured him for hours. That's when he felt fire in his back as Kikyou let out a witches cackle._

_He dropped her, but she continued to laugh. He reached around to his back to grip at the invading object that jutted out of his back, between his spine and shoulder blade._

" _Damn, I missed. No matter, it'll still take effect." Kikyou laughed out, sitting up slightly to get a better look at him._

" _What the fuck did you do?" He asked, the fire in his back spreading slowly throughout his back._

" _Now now, is that any way to talk to your kami, mutt?" She spat back at him with intense venom. It was a warning, and one that Inuyasha was not going to heed any more._

" _I'll rip you apart bitch!" Inuyasha cursed. He urged his legs to pounce but he collapsed instead. His arms and legs felt like millions of fire ants were burrowing into his flesh. His senses were fading but his mind stayed clear. Whatever she had done to him wasn't about to end well._

" _I'd like to see you try." Kikyou laughed as she raised herself to her full height. She stepped towards Inuyasha and kicked his head hard before pushing him over so he could look at her._

_Inuyasha growled in protest, earning another sharp kick to his side. She leaned down and retrieved the small shiv from where Inuyasha had taken it out._

_With the weapon in hand, she straddled Inuyasha's chest, causing her kimono to hitch up and reveal porcelain white thighs, clear from any of the blood that soaked her clothes._

_She leaned down towards Inuyasha with a crazy grin. She inspected the blade before pushing aside his haori and pressing it into his pectoral. She shivered as his blood pearled out of the wound, spreading more fire into his veins._

_Kikyou raised the blade to face and inspected the crimson pearls. Inuyasha wanted to throw up, preferably on her._

_Kikyou licked the blood off the blade, shuttering at the metallic taste. She started grinding against Inuyasha, moaning loudly. Once the blade was clean of his blood she lowered herself to his chest and began lapping up the blood happily._

_Inuyasha let out another growl in warning. He still couldn't move and he cursed himself for being so careless. Why the fuck couldn't he just move!_

" _Oh, shut up dog." Kikyou spat out coldly before she slammed the shiv down into his stomach._

_White hot fire burned through the wound and he left out a small yelp in pain. He had taken much bigger blows than this and lived to tell the tale. Why was this affecting him so much?_

" _Surprised, are you? I've poisoned the blade. Not fatal, but enough to immobilize. I needed kami's blood to do it. Those whores had it coming to them. They never accepted me, never did anything when Kaeade's soul came through our door! The only one who matters is you, Inuyasha. You're mine… I won't let anyone have you. And once the spell is woven you'll go back in there and kill them yourself."_

_Like hell he would. He'd sooner kill himself. He'd get InuTaisho and Sesshomaru to do it if he couldn't do it himself._

_Kikyou spread apart her kimono more, showing herself to Inuyasha fully. She inched herself closer, letting Inuyasha get a better look knowing the poison was hindering his eyesight. He could smell her through the blood and it made him even more nauseous than before._

_She moved back down his body and lowered herself onto the knife protruding out his Inuyasha's gut._

" _Enjoy the show, it's only a teaser for what's to come." She teased before she began rocking back and forth on the knife, moaning when Inuyasha tensed in pain at the movements._

_Moaning even louder when the blade cut her most sensitive parts._

_She leaned back, giving Inuyasha an unobstructed view of her bleeding cunt. She put one hand on his thigh for support as she used her other one to grab at his manhood._

_She moaned loudly as she neared her climax. When she finally came she quickly removed herself from the blade, ripping it out of his gut and giving his cock a hard kick before flipping him over._

_Inuyasha heard fabric being cut and ripped before the knife plunged back into him. Kikyou set to work, carving out morbid letters and patterns into his flesh, laughing all the while._

Inuyasha bolted out of bed, drenched in a cold sweat. He frantically clawed at his haori, throwing it off his body in a crumpled heap.

It was dusk. The red of the setting sun painted the sky just as in his dream. He ran up to his full bodied mirror and began inspecting his back for any trace of damage she had inflicted on to him all those years ago.

Faint white lines from the physical wounds still lingered on his skin like a fading tattoo. You probably wouldn't even know what you were looking at unless it was pointed out to you. Inuyasha himself had forgotten of it for years.

The rancid scent of coppery blood still filled his nostrils. His legs felt like lead. He had begun pacing back and forth across his room due to the anxiety. It was only a dream, but he could still feel each and every stab, every movement of the blade as she carved her spell into his flesh.

" _Inuyasha?_ " A timid voice called out. He instantly spun around and slammed the shoji screen open. Now was not the time for Rin to come bug him.

He turned to face the intruder, ready to snap and show his wrath to the young kami, but his nose told him before his eyes did that it wasn't Rin, but Kagome. That's right… he had put her next to his room…

He gazed down at her. He hadn't noticed it before now but she really was a sight to behold.

She was short, around Rin's height and she lacked the graceful posture the kami seemed to sport so proudly. She had long raven black hair that he could make out clearly even in the dark of the hallway.

She looked like Kikyou.

But she  _wasn't_  Kikyou. He of all people would  _know_  if it was Kikyou.

"What?" He barked out much harsher than he had intended.

Her face went from one of virgin innocence to hardened Amazonian warrior in an instant.

"Look, I realize you might be mad at me for having to stand guard but that wasn't my fault so don't take it out on me!" She yelled back, thoroughly confusing Inuyasha. Was it something he said? And did she say something about standing guard over her? That was an order, not a choice. Well… it was an order for the first few hours. He stayed with her longer by choice; but that was beside the point.

He was just about to set her straight when she opened her mouth again, cutting him off.

"And here I was trying to thank you too."

He felt a breeze then and realized that in his frantic mindset he had thrown open the door without a shirt.

There he was, shirtless, standing in front of a kami. Not just any kami either, but one that flustered him and calmed him down without even his knowledge of it happening. What was he even so worried about earlier anyways? He turned to look at his haori, only then remembering the scars on his back.

He didn't want her to worry about him, and seeing that would certainly cause her to ask questions. He needed her out of his face damn it! What was with this chick?!

"Keh, whatever." He finally said quickly before slamming the door closed.

He heard her puff before padding off to her room. Within moments he heard her breathing even out as she fell asleep.

With his haori secure on his body again, he sat down on his bed, listening intently on the muffled sounds of the girl next door. The sounds soothed him, even lulling him into a somewhat peaceful sleep. It was something about her aura that Kikyou's lacked. Kagome made him feel at peace when Kikyou made him feel at edge. Just being able to listen to her breathing was enough to reassure him everything was going to be alright.

until she started shivering that is.

Annoyed that his white noise had been turned off, he stalked over to her room only to see the girl asleep on her bed sans blankets.

"Idiot." He mumbled as he approached her limp form, "You'll catch a cold."

Lifting her carefully, slowing his pace only when she started to stir, he stripped back the heavy red duvet and tucked her securely inside.

She moaned lightly in her sleep, making Inuyasha wonder if she was having a nightmare. What could she possibly have to fear? Rats, maybe? She never had to deal with a homicidal bitch bent on… whatever she was after.

He kneeled down next to her, much like he did the first night she was here. He liked watching over her. He could see himself by her side, protecting her, at her beck and call…

But who's to say it won't end up like Kikyou all over again? It was an inugami's instinct to be drawn to a master, but Inuyasha couldn't trust anyone again. This pull he felt to her was just that, a pull. God pulling his strings and trying to get a laugh at his expense.

Shaking his head, he quietly made his way outside, perching on a tree and watching the stars until sunrise, cursing his life for being so complicated.


	6. Building Bonds, Creating Enemies

"The path to paradise begins in hell."

― Dante Alighieri

* * *

Kagome woke up right at the crack of dawn. The beams of light that penetrated through the windows illuminated her strange new room. It was a harsh reminder that all of this wasn't just a dream. She was dead, she was a kami now. She could probably never go back.

She sat up, letting the plush covers fall around her softly. The ornate walls of the room were both beautiful and sickeningly foreign. She longed for her small room, the backbreaking chores of cleaning the shrine. She wanted to hug her mother, be told some old legend by her grandfather; she wanted to scold Souta for sleeping in. But those days were over.

How was her family dealing with her death? Was she already buried, ad they already held a funeral? She wanted to see them so bad it hurt, but she doubted the kami and youkai of her new home would allow her. She just had to accept this was her life now. Being depressed over it wouldn't do her any good.

Perhaps now would be a good time to explore the estate on her own? Yesterday – as much as Kagome was grateful for the tour – she didn't get to fully explore areas of interest. Kagome had no idea how to get to key rooms in the house (the kitchen, dinning room and bathroom in particular), so she decided to start with something she did know how to get to; the garden.

She threw her feet off her oversized bed and winced at how cold the world still was. Despite being early august the floor felt like ice under her bare feet and a slight frigid breeze brushed against the exposed parts of her skin. She shivered, wishing for the days that weren't that long ago; when she'd wear shorts and a tank top, eat ice cream and laugh with her friends. She'd go to summer festivals in a light yukata on these hot summer nights. But now here she was, in the heaviest kimono she'd ever seen. Lost to the warm world and trapped in the land of the dead.

Kagome stepped in to the hallway which was considerably darker than her room. Despite the lack of light the hallway was much too ornate for her tastes. She was a simple girl and was perfectly happy with as minimal décor as possible.

The hallway seemed to stretch on forever. Each wall was painted in bright golds and reds depicting several demons, ancient priestesses, oni, nymths, you name it. Kagome ran her fingers over the art, the paint was smooth and cool under her touch. The further she went the more she noticed it seemed to tell a story.  _If the walls could talk_  Kagome giggled to herself. Maybe she'd ask Izayoi to explain the history on these walls later. She was sure Izayoi gave her some of the tales earlier, but she honestly wasn't paying attention.

It wasn't long until Kagome had taken several turns down the winding corridors that she realized she was terribly lost;  _so much for knowing how to get to the garden_.

She cursed herself for wandering around without an escort, but cursed the inhabitants of the estate more for insisting on having such an unnecessarily large house.

Remembering the trick she often used as a child in carnival mazes, she began to follow the left wall. Doors and tapestry all looked the same no matter where she wandered. Despite the mansion having wide arrays of servants, not one was to be seen.

Kagome continued following the left wall, calling out for help to no one in particular. She figured that one of the three inugami would hear her pleads eventually.

Eventually Kagome came across cross ways in the hall. Servants were lazily opening shutters and dusting whatever protruded out of the walls. Some were scurrying along to other unseen destinations. None of them were headed down the hall Kagome had just emerged from and none seemed to pay Kagome any mind.

The servants really were a sight to behold. Each was only about as tall as to reach Kagome's hip and sported unique skin colours and animal-esque features. Kagome approached one nearest her who was dutifully dusting off one of the framed murals.

"Um… excuse me, could you point me in the direction of the garden?" Kagome asked sweetly, even bending so she was eye level with the lower level youkai.

All the bustling servants stopped. Some began whispering to the nearest person, others looked at her in disgust. The servant Kagome had asked looked at her silently, as if debating with itself what to do. All eyes were on Kagome, and she suddenly had the urge to flatten her hair to look more presentable.

"What is  _she_ doing here?" One of the servants finally broke the stifling silence. The outburst seemed to encourage the other servants as multiple started muffling and chanting in disunion.

"Please, I'm just lost!" Kagome cried out to the growing mob. Mixed cries of 'get out of here' and 'just get lost' rang through the hall. A group of the lesser youkai began to assemble, grabbing silverware and cleaning tools as they formed. They approached Kagome and rammed into her head on, pushing her over.

Kagome dropped to the floor, landing directly on her tail bone. The small youkai were now about a foot or two taller and were surrounding Kagome. Some started kicking her, others pulled her hair. Finally one of the servants from the crowd threw something hard and metallic.

The object hit her dead on the head. She raised her hands to try to shield her from further attacks and winced when she could feel the sticky warm liquid stain her hands. Kagome lowered herself further as the attack continued, pleading on deaf ears for them to stop.

It didn't take long for the chants to die down, soon followed by the physical assaults. Kagome wasn't sure if they were waiting for her to lower her guard or if they had a sudden change in heart. Regardless, she stayed in her defensive position for a few moments before venturing to look.

Before her stood a vaguely familiar figure, the white man from when she first woke up perhaps? Inuyasha had called him Sesshomaru if Kagome remembered correctly. Relief begun to course through her in steady, calming waves.

He was an inugami; so he would help her, right?

Sesshomaru looked down at Kagome like she was some sort of pest. The pure look of disgust on his face set Kagome back and she wondered for a moment if he would hurt her like the servants had – or worse.

"Please, I was just looking for the –"

"I did not ask why you are here." Sesshomaru said coldly, cutting Kagome off mid-sentence. "Stay back, out of the blue and green hallways."

Kagome looked around. She hadn't noticed before how the hallways colour and overall décor had changed. She hadn't even noticed during her tour. Was there something special about each wing? Is that why no servant seemed to head down the hallway Kagome had just come down, the crimson hall?

Sesshomaru turned abruptly, in the dramatic way Kagome would often see in plays when the character had made their point and wasn't interested anymore in the scene.

"And it would be wise of you to teach your shrew these things before such ordeals take place, hanyou," he said sternly before taking his leave. A few servants turned to watch him leave, a disappointed look in their eyes. They quickly returning to their duties leaving Kagome seemingly alone.

* * *

Inuyasha had stayed out until dawn until reluctantly deciding to head back into the estate. Partially because he sick of wallowing in his dark mind, but mainly because he was plain tired.

It had been years since Inuyasha had seen such a lack of sleep - much less remained restless for this particular reason.

That's right... Kikyou hadn't even crossed his mind all these centuries. At first he had frantic night terrors of the kami's return. The hours of torture, mutilation and most of all her maniacal laughter haunted his dreams for many a sleepless night after her banishment. So why was it all coming back to him now?

Kagome.

The girl he had moved in next to him on a whim. Her smell wafted through every inch of his room, every toss she made, every step she took resonated through. As much as her presence comforted him, as much as his inu-youkai blood screamed for him to protect her - there was no other answer. She was the only thing that changed. She must be the cause of his recurring nightmares returning.

She had to go.

He entered his room expecting to meet the new scent that now radiated from every corner of the abode. Instead, he was met with the sweet coppery scent of fresh blood.

Adrenaline began to seep into Inuyasha's vein's. Quickening his step he threw open his shoji screen door, nearly breaking the wall in the process. He faced Kagome's door and threw it open with slightly less force than his own only to see the room was empty.

Cursing under his breath he paced down the hall, following the scent to it's source; his ears twitching as they picked up Kagome's quivering voice reverberate off the walls - growling at the voice that followed suit.

 _Shesshomaru_.

_"And it would be wise of you to teach your shrew these things before such ordeals take place, hanyou,"_

Claws drawn and fangs bared Inuyasha rounded the corner, ready to pounce at his half-brother only to see Kagome dazed on the floor. Her hair was disheveled, her heavy kimono drooped off her shoulder and fell around her like a flowering maple in full bloom. The servants in the hall shook as they worked upon Inuyasha's arrival.

Kagome turned to face the hanyou. Her doe eyes were large and wet. A tress trailed through her bloody fingers, a red streak of crimson trailed down her cheek and dripped to the ground in a steady slow rhythm.

Inuyasha swooped down to his knees, reaching out to inspect Kagome's wound. She winced as he moved her hand slowly away from the gash. He pushed her hair aside and inspected the area thoroughly.

"When did you get here Inuya-" Kagome croaked. It was obvious she was on the verge of tears. He was so close to her. From this angle Kagome could clearly make out the gold of his eyes, the chisel of his features. He was tanner than Sesshomaru, altough they shared the same snowy silver hair. Kagome never felt so small, not just because he dwarfed her in all aspects; but also because he radiated a power that screamed danger.

Yet oddly... Kagome did not feel afraid. She could sense a sadness to him, a gentleness she was somehow drawn to...

"How did this happen?" Inuyasha cut her off sternly, breaking her train of thought along with it. "Did Sesshomaru do this? Are you hurt anywhere else?" he prodded.

"It's nothing. It's just a head wound. They always bleed more than they should." Kagome said trying to reassure the hanyou, her voice as steady as she could get it.

 **"WHO DID IT"**  Inuyasha barked, making Kagome wince at the sudden volume.

"I told you it's noth-" Kagome started. Inuyasha stood up swiftly, raising to his full height.

"WHICH ONE OF YOU DID IT." Inuyasha demanded towards the servants who were desperately trying not to drop trinkets as they dusted them. Simultaneously the lesser youkai stopped what they were doing and turned to face Inuyasha - crippling fear evident on their faces.

Finally, one of the servants, a fox child, faced one of the laborers towards the back of the crowd. As if on queue a group of servants grabbed the lesser youkai and pushed him forward.

The servant had a snake-like face, they shook violently as Inuyasha let out a low growl in his throat.

"You-" Inuyasha hissed as he stepped forward. Kagome - panicked - lunged forward, gripping the hem of the hanyou's haori. He was going to hurt him - she knew it.

"Stop!" Kagome pleaded. Inuyasha turned to face her. Gold clashed with brown. Kagome begged with his eyes for the hanyou to calm down, unsure of what to say or din such a situation.

Inuyasha's face relaxed. "You're not off the hook, but you can keep your life...  _for now_."

Kagome let out a sigh and rose to her feet. She breathed out a soft "thank you" as Inuyasha bounded down the hall opposite the shaking servants.

"You coming or what?" Inuyasha called, "We need to get that wound patched up."

With a small nod, Kagome followed suit, her heavy kimono sweeping out behind her as they made they way through the mansion.

* * *

Kagome winced as Rin smothered herbal ointment across her forehead. Inuyasha had left the girls alone in the garden after demanding Rin to  _"Get my mutt of a brother to behave himself!"_ Now Kagome found herself being tended to by probably the last person she wanted to see right now.

"I know... bare with it, it'll prevent infection." Rin said apologetically as she worked.

"Spirits can get infections?" Kagome asked, wincing again as Rin placed a small cotton bandage over the ointment, nodding in approval at her handiwork.

"You'd be surprised. We may be dead but we can still bleed, get sick, give birth... we just can't die." Rin explained. "If you suffer a fatal wound you'll just be reincarnated. It is both our blessing and our curse."

Two flickering fireflies flew in between the branches of a willow tree. The river flowed slowly around the two kami, reflecting the early morning sun around the room. A firefly floated by Rin, who gently clasped it in her hands, whispering sweet words to it before sending it off by the river.

Kagome watched in awe, "Where is it going?"

"The river leads to heaven." Rin smiled at Kagome, "I'm sure you saw it too - before you woke up."

"You mean that dream?" Kagome asked, "That was heaven?"

Rin nodded happily. "It wasn't a dream. You were there. You just chose to come back - to be a kami I mean. Izayoi and myself did also."

Rin reached out to another firefly, letting it dance around her before she clasped it in her hands and set it to the river once again as she continued. "Our job is to purify the spirits and ensuring they reach heaven. Do you want to try?" Rin asked.

With an unsure nod Kagome tenderly let out a hand to a firefly.

The spirit nuzzled into her palm, the contact sending a jolt through her.  _Above her stood a man, his arms raised. He was holding something that gleamed in the florescent lights overhead. The smell of alcohol was heavy in the air. She was afraid. Her whole body was frozen, her ribs ached. Did some of them break?_

_Kagome watched as the man swung down the cleaver in slow motion. She felt the sharp impact on her skull. She was only 26 years old, cause of death: brain damage. Her name was Hiroko. Kagome could feel all the lingering anger, dear, pain in the spirit, eating away at it slowly._

"Comfort it" Kagome heard Rin's voice through the black of the vision.  _comfort it how?_  Kagome thought.

She thought of heaven, of the warmth and love she felt radiate from it's gates.  _Don't be afraid_  Kagome whispered to the firefly,  _Where you're going you will feel no more pain, no more suffering._

"Good." Rin broke through again, "Now take it's evil energy and purify it. Find the darkness in the soul and imagine you're burning it away."

Kagome looked deep into the spirit. She felt when she was done and released the spirit into the river. She was crying.

"Very good!" Rin chimed, "You're a natural!"

"What was that." Kagome asked shaking.

"You saw the spirits last moments alive. You took that painful memory and purified it so it can face a better judgement in heaven., now it won't turn into a youkai."

Rin reached out to another spirit. "I'm sorry about Sesshomaru. He can be... difficult. I know it's a lot to ask but, please, be patient with him."

"...Yeah."

Rin punched her softly in the arm, causing Kagome to look up from her hands - something she hadn't even noticed she had become fixated on.

"Come on!" Rin urged, "You can't stay all gloomy like that. We're offering these spirits a chance at new life in Heaven. You'll never make it if you become a negative-nancypants."

"Negative... nancy pants?" Kagome giggled, "is that even a word?"

"Is now!" Rin gave a toothy smile, "Come on, we don't have to just sit here as we work!" Rin stood up, her heavy orange kimono weighing her small frame. She offered a hand to Kagome, helping her up. Rin trotted through the garden, stopping at a Sakura tree in full bloom.

"You know how to play hid- and-go-seek?" Rin asked. Kagome nodded in affirmation.

"Okay, well this is kami hide-and-go-seek!" The spirits around the room all flickered in excitement, "Go hide with as many spirits as you can. If you can purify them all before I find you, you win! Since you're a newbie I'll go easy on you. Purify 5 spirits in the time it take me to find you."

Kagome smiled. The carefree girl reminded her so much of her brother. She gave a smile and nodded at Rin. On queue Rin turned and started counting loudly.

If Rin was around, maybe she wouldn't have such a hard time as a kami after all...

* * *

Kagome stood on her balcony watching the sun set over the wooded horizon. It was certainly a new setting she would have to get used to. The familiar cityscape has been replaced by dense foliage - the buzzing reverberating engines and horns replaced by chirping birds and waterfalls. It was serene here... but unsettling at the same time.

 _Souta would love it here_  Kagome thought, remembering his first time back from his boy scouts camping trip to Kyoto.  _"You wouldn't believe it!" Souta chimed ecstatically, "The stars up north shine so bright! I can't wait until our next expedition!"_

Kagome shock her head, slapping herself in the face lightly. She couldn't think about that now, it would only weigh on her soul... yet she couldn't help it.

How was her family holding up? Did her friends know of her passing yet? Was there a funeral planned?  _How did I die?_

She felt her eyes water as the thoughts continued. She missed home so much, she missed her family, her life...

Her spiraling thoughts were cut off by the abrupt sound of a screen door sliding open.

She turned see the flash of red that was Inuyasha. He stepped through the door, leaving it open. He seemed content to ignore Kagome as he stood looking up at the changing sky.

Having enough of the awkward silence, it was Kagome who spoke first.

"Um... thank you for earlier. I would have been lost forever if you hadn't shown up."

Inuyasha looked at her. The sun reflecting off his figure made him glow in bright reds and whites. Even though there was a good 6 feet distance between the too of them she could make out his chest rising and falling as he took in a deep breath.

"You shouldn't take that crap from them." he said harshly. Kagome recoiled back. The tone in his voice reminded her of her father's scolding. Was Inuyasha doing it out of concern or annoyance? Was he tired of coming to her rescue?

"I'm sorry I'm such a burden to you all-" Kagome trailed off, tears beading in the corner of her eyes once more. "You know... two days ago I didn't even believe in all of this stuff. And yet... here I am; a kami - a spirit in a world of demons and angels. I just don't know what to do."

"Shut up." Inuyasha scoffed. He placed his large clawed hands on the railing. In one swift movement he leaped over the railing, landing softly on the balls of his bare feet on Kagome's own railing. He knelt down, unwavering as he balanced on the narrow wood. He looked down on Kagome with critical eyes. Kagome felt even smaller than he had made her feel when he was inspecting her forehead earlier that day.

"You're not a burden to anyone. Now stop fucking apologizing, and stop crying"

Kagome looked up directly at him. His golden gaze was fierce against hers. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hands. "You're a kami now - a god. Get over it." Inuyasha said, offering her his hand.

She looked down at his palm, his claws visible. "I want to show you something."

Kagome took his hand gingerly. He gripped her hand and pulled her forward, her heavy layered kimono all that was dragging her back. Suddenly, she was off the ground, propelled upwards by Inuyasha's strong pull. He deftly swept her body into his arms and leap off the railing carrying Kagome bridal style.

Inuyasha dashed through the wooded outskirts of the compound, leaping through trees to his destination. The sun was quickly descending over the horizon, darkening the foliage as they went. Kagome closed her eyes, partially in fear, mostly because the world whizzing by her was making her dizzy.

Not long after Inuyasha came to an abrupt stop. Kagome opened her eyes. The world had gone considerably dark. All around her the sounds of nocturnal wild life buzzed.

Inuyasha carefully shifted Kagome's weight off of him, never letting go of her arm.

She could feel the soft grass beneath her feet, the breeze cold on her bare skin and causing the trees around them to sway softly. They were in a clearing. The only light was the moon beaming down on them. The earthy scent of pine lingered in the air mixed with the sweet nectar of wildflowers.

"Where are we?" Kagome asked softly as she took in the sights around her.

The world lit up in soft flickering greens just then. Kagome looked up to see a stream of light swirling in the heavens. Small lights danced and swooned through the lights happily before ascending beyond view.

Kagome watched in bewilderment, her mouth slightly agape. Inuyasha watched her soft expression, watched the light flicker in her stormy blue eyes, exposing dark freckles of colour within them. Her whole figure shrouded in the heavy fabrics of her pink kimono.

She was beautiful.

"Are those..." Kagome started, trailing off her sentence mid way.

"The spirits ascending to heaven." Inuyasha finished for her.

Kagome could feel overwhelming joy overcome her being. Tears welled up in her eyes once more, but she made no effort to stop them.

Inuyasha gripped her shoulders, spinning her around to face him. "woah woah woah woah stop with the waterworks already!" he sputtered. He hated when women cried.

Kagome smiled at him softly, "I can't help it. It's just too beautiful. I'm so happy."

Inuyasha wrapped his arms around the small kami protectively. Kagome, uncaring, wrapped her arms around him gently, reveling in the kind gesture.

"I promise," Inuyasha spoke softly, just barely audible, "I'll protect you no matter what."

* * *

Kikyou sit perched in a tree, her head leaning slightly against the trunk as she watched the world swirl around her. A flickering spirit floating by her as she hummed to herself.

Kami are spiritual beings. More advanced than ordinary human souls, more complex than the original youkai. They are human spirits chosen by the archangels to help fulfill their duties.

Youkai, fallen angels who carry out God's will to serve the kami.

Kami can neither attain nirvana nor step foot into Heaven or Hell and are forced to wander the Earth and do God's bidding for all eternity. Something many youkai and Kami did happily.

The idea was laughable to Kikyou. She reached out to caress the small spirit. A small girl of 5, cause of death: pneumonia.  _So young and innocent_ Kikyou sung to to the spirit, causing it to flicker.

She snuffed it out.

She hated the kami and she hated the youkai. They stole her chance at nirvana, forced her to send worthless humans to heaven while she was left wandering the Earth for all eternity.

They stole Inuyasha from her.

At first she had no interest in the dog. He was simply a means to an end. He was obedient and did as he was told without letting on with what she was doing. For centuries she thought of him as nothing but a pet – a very useful pet at that.

No, it wasn't until recently that she had learned of her developing feelings for the inugami. She enjoyed causing him pain, seeing the feral look in his eye could send her over the edge in her thoughts alone. The way she could cut him without fear of killing, to be able to drink his blood and know it would never cease to pour – it was sinfully orgasmic for her.

Everything about him was delicious. He was the perfect specimen. He was hers.

The souls she had gathered from Hiroshima had been the last key she needed to complete centuries of research. Now all that was left to do was test it out in the field.

There were plenty of lesser kami. Water spirits, kami that gave you good financial fortune. Too many to pick from, so she decided the next one she passed would be her test subject.

Kikyou had thought for years that kami are only human souls given shape and spiritual power, therefore they can be manipulated as any typical human soul once you separate the two.

The result would be a normal human soul that could not attain nirvana nor descend into hell. The spirit could then be warped into a youkai that, in theory, could not be defeated. Naturally, the spiritual power would go to herself.

It was three birds with one stone. She could lure Inuyasha to her while taking out the kami and gaining her an unbeatable army.

Of course, this was all a theory. She had never experimented before. It's possible the kami's form would simply dissipate in nothingness; the spiritual energies wouldn't be extracted. It was even possible for nothing to happen at all.

All she needed to do now was find a way to get herself – or someone else - into the kami's estate.


	7. Bad Omen

" _All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring."_

―  _Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters_

* * *

Izayoi entered into the garden, Sesshomaru close at her heels.

Rin sat among the souls, singing softly. Kagome had left a few hours before. It had grown dark in that time. Sesshomaru watched as Rin was softly illuminated by the swirling souls around her.

"Good work today, Rin." Izayoi praised, offering a kind smile. "Go rest up."

Shesshomaru walked up beside Rin, helping the exhausted kami raise to her feet. The two quietly exited the garden, leaving Izayoi to her own devices.

When the large decorative door clicked shut behind Sesshomaru he turned to face Rin. She knew what was coming. She knew he could smell it off of her, he could probably even still smell it in the garden.

"Why do you reek of Inuyasha's shrew." He said coldly, confirming her suspicion. Rin continued walking, used to his chastisement and cruel words.

"She was injured. I patched her up and showed her how to purify spirits." She explained, her words slightly slurred due to her fatigue. "I don't see why you're so worried. I stayed on guard. She didn't do anything."

Shesshomaru watched as Rin continued walking down the hall without a word. His cool demenor never cracking for even a moment dispite his annoyance.

"I don't want you alone with her again." Sesshomaru ordered, "either my father or myself must be present in the garden at all times-"

"Oh stop it Sessy. You're worrying too much." Rin stopped her slow shuffle and turned to face the dai-youkai. A stray tress fell over her eyes. Sesshomaru approached, carefully pushing it aside as to not knick her with his claws.

He leaned in close to her, letting his power radiate outwards as he did so. The sudden change in aura making Rin shudder. She could feel his warm breath against her ice cold skin as he whispered slowly.

"I mean it."

Rin threw herself on her inugami, hugging him tightly with as much energy as she could muster. She had to regain control over him. She hated when he bullied her.

She could sense his satisfaction with the situation through his calm anger. Damn cocky dog.

Raising to her the very tips of her toes she reached up, grasping Sesshomaru's face with both her hands, pulling him down to her height. She planted her lips on his. Sesshomaru relaxed at the contact, pushing into Rin as he grabbed the base of her hair, pulling her back to deepen the kiss. He nipped her bottom lip lightly making Rin moan slightly - just enough for him to tease his way into her mouth.

Rin wasn't going to have it, she wasn't going to let him take control of this situation. She knew just how to pet her inugami to take control.

Pulling back from the kiss just slightly, she ran her thumbs over his markings. First on his cheeks, moving down his shoulders... his sides; trailing down until she ghosted just over his core before pulling away entirely.

She skipped down the hall away from Sesshomaru, unfastening her kimono as she went. Not enough to take it out, but just enough to expose the nape of her neck. She welcomed the chill as she heard Sesshomaru step closer. Within moments she was in his arms as he bounded down the hall. She swirled small circles on his chest as he threw open the door to their room. It had been a long time since they had a moment like this and it showed in how anxious Sesshomaru was.

"Is the calm and collected greater demon Sesshomaru all flustered over a small kami?" Rin teased.

"You'll regret those words kami." he retorted as he closed the door behind him.

"I do not approve of our sons attraction to the new kami" InuTaisho's stern voice boomed out as he entered the garden, joining his wife and mate as she worked at purifying the flickering spirits. Izayoi did not flinch at her husbands harsh tone, rather she continued to carefully and peacefully hum to the spirits surrounding her. Centuries bordering millenia had hardened her to his often harsh, cruel words.

"Now dear, you know how inugami are. He's simply giving way to his instinct," she said with a soothing voice, "I seem to recall your own father having doubts when you bonded with me as well. You didn't have an issue with her when you first saw her."

InuTaisho remained hard. "I had not noticed her uncanny resemblance to another during the carnage she was introduced in." InuTiasho stopped, a rare moment of annoyance flashed in his hard eyes, "Also, my father's doubts were unwarranted and quickly dismissed. My doubts  _are_  warrented. How quickly we forget what has already occurred in the past, my love."

"I have not forgotten," Izayoi snapped, "rather, I choose not to cast doubts on someone who only bares resemblance. I am choosing to trust our son." Her tone was much harsher this time.

InuTaisho's gaze bore into his wife, leaving them in silence for a number of minutes. The air was tense, causing a few spirits to flicker nervously.

"Look at the bright side my love," Izayoi smiled towards her lover in an attempt to clear the air, even if just slightly, "He has been taking on more work, has he not?"

She slowly stood up, the souls around her outlining her small frame and illuminating her in a soft green glow. Her heavy Kimono dragged behind her as she approached her mate, giving him a tight embrace.

Was she worried? Of course. But her instinct told her there was nothing to fear. She would trust and support her son two fold if she had to.

InuTaisho softened, letting out a small sigh, "Volunteering to do one thing hardly constitutes him taking on more work."

Izayoi giggled, "But it's still progress!"

* * *

Kagome stared at the swirling patterns of her ceiling, her eyes tracing back and forth as the paint dipped and dived combined with the flickering candlelight flame made it seem alive.

She had no idea how late it was. Quite frankly, it didn't matter. She couldn't sleep.

She tapped against her knuckles in her clasped hands that were rested lazily against her chest, thinking back on her earlier conversation with Inuyasha.

Kagome told him about her school, her mother, her father. She explained the war to him, how cars weren't actually alive (giggling at how childish he was to think they were "demon's with wheels") . He told her about the spirit world, the military, his mother and Rin. They became fast friends. She felt so at ease with him near.

She tapped her knuckles harder, creating a steady rhythm in the all too silent room. It was unsettling. She was left with nothing but her thoughts. Now that she had time to rethink her depression was starting to creep back in.

Her mind was torn between her family and the Inugami residing in the room adjacent to hers.

Was her family already starting to move past her death?

Was Inuyasha topless right now?

How was Souta coping with the grief?

_I wonder what his lips taste like..._

Kagome shot up with an aubile sigh of frustration. She guessed it was normal to wonder about her family, but she also felt a tinge of guilt for not thinking about them as often as she had before.

She had only a certain hanyou to thank for that.

Why did he have to take her out to watch the stars and souls? She felt like a stupid middle schooler again, swooning over the class-hunk and imagining their life together simply because he held the door open for her.

I mean, sure, he was hot and kind and sweet... but his attitude and that potty-mouth! She wanted to punch him and kiss him until her lips bruised at the same time.

And she hated it.

It wasn't simply because of her own emotional state, she was glad that at least someone seemed to be sticking out for her... but rather, she was more concerned it was faked.

Shesshomaru had made his opinion of her clear. Rin, as sweet as she was as she demonstrated how to purify spirits, still looked at her with skepticism. InuTaisho seemed completely uninterested and she had only really seen him once (which wasn't the best encounter, might she add). Izayoi looked at her with love, yet still seemed on edge around her.

Inuyasha on the other hand, looked at her with a wide array of eyes. Some pitiful, some weary, some kind and some disgusted. Maybe she was just looking to deep into it, but after her treatment from the servants and the other inugami... she just didn't know what to think.

God must have been having fun tormenting her.

She wanted to slap herself. She was never this depressing before what had happened 2 days ago. Maybe she was over thinking it, she reassured herself. What would he have to gain from the facade after all?

* * *

It was a dark starry summer's night in Japan. The slight breeze caused the trees to dance rhythmically. Kikyou hummed to herself as she wandered barefoot through untouched forests surrounding the city borders of Nagasaki. Her soul catchers provided a soft glow that offered just enough light for her to traverse gracefully.

She had been hearing the pleads from a particularly lost spirit calling out to her. A vengeful spirit with no desire to ascend to heaven. Normally, she would leave these kinds of spirits alone to devolve into an oni, but this spirit was completely different from others like it.

Her soul catchers flickered in excitment as she got closer to the soul. She could sense hoards of lesser youkai flocking, searching for the beckoning soul.

Kikyou felt herself getting close. The closer she got, the more she sense his (yes, it was a man) story. His name was Onigumo, he was young, lowly business man at a failing company. He made up for his meager wages through con artistry and petty theft. He had survived the blast at Hiroshima, though everyone he knew had died, and sought refuge in Nagasaki soon after.

She brushed a low hanging branch out of the way, she knew she was close to him. Sending her soul catchers forward to help illuminate the clearing, she saw the slightest movement and quickly stepped over.

He wasn't a spirit. At least, not yet. He was teetering right on the edge, his soul ready to leave yet holding on it's last threads for dear life. His body was bloodied and swollen, skin peeled off muscle at even the smallest movements. His eyes clouded were sunken in and they darted around hin his skull wildly as he tried to figure out where he was.

"Curse God" he rasped out, causing the skin peel off his face in clean sheets.

Kikyou had seen many terrible things in her life - she had  _done_ many terrible things in her life - but nothing could compare to the sight of the man in front of her.

She extended her slender hand out to him, causing the sleeve of her traditional miko dress brushed slightly against Onigumo's arm. He flinched back in a mixture of pain and shock, the movement effectively peeling off any skin that had made contact with the cool earth beneath him.

"Who's there! Stay away! I'll kill you, I swear it!"

Kikyou couldn't help but laugh. A man at deaths door was  _threatening_  to kill  _her_?

" _You?_ " Kikyou couldn't be bothered to hide the sarcasm in her tone, "What makes you think that a man in your situation could kill  _me?"_

Onigumo stilled, startled by the female voice or pondering his situation, Kikyou couldn't tell.

She couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of pity towards the man. His situation was that of an infant in a sense, completely helpless and at the mercy of who ever stumbled across him. Perhaps she found a sort of beauty in him, maybe she found joy in his suffering... or perhaps she still had a soul in her after all.

A soft warm glow began to eminate from Kikyou, one she had almost forgotten how to weild. Onigumo seemed to instinctively move towards her as she waved her hand over his angry soul.

She flinched back, she feel his pain from her efforts to heal him. It was no small task, cells died nearly as fast as she could heal them.

"W-what are you doing to me?!" Onigumo screamed, half in relief, half in pain.

"Shut up!" Kikyou spat back as she called forth more purifying power to her hands. The soul collectors over head swirled anxiously in a rhythmic pattern. One soul collector, trying to be as useful to it's master as possible, offered Kikyou a soul.

The green light of the soul cut through the light pink radiating off the kami.

She got an idea. Reaching one of her hands towards the soul, she brought it down to Onigumo, fusing the two souls into one.

Almost immediately, the cells in his body regenerated quicker, whatever illness had been plaguing him held off for the time being.

* * *

_Kagome felt something hard and rough beneath her. She opened to eyes to see a lively, bustling city-scape before her._

_Men and women traversed the streets, some hurrying, others leisurely. She knew where she was, she had come here before with her mother to meet with her father. He used to work here before he was drafted for the war..._

_It was Nagasaki. But why was she here? When did she get here?_

_Kagome wandered around, feeling much lighter than usual. She looked down to see herself garbed in her old forest green school uniform. Was this a dream?_

_"Inuayasha?! Izayoi? Rin?!" she called out. No passers by seemd to notice nor care. She was just another girl on the streets who had been separated by her friends._

_"Kagome!" A familiar voice called through the crowds of bodies. She turned instinctively to the sound thinking one of the kami had found her._

_Her heart skipped a beat when her mother's form materialized in the distance, walking along side her grandfather._

_Kagome found herself overcome with emotions. Tears threatened to fall at the corner of her eyes, she pushed through the hoards of people and leap towards her mother and grandfather, hugging them as if they'd disappear forever if she let go for even an instance._

_"Oh mommy!" Kagome wept as she near tackled her mother to the hard pavement beneath them, "Mommy, JiiJii, I missed you!"_

_Kagome's mother looked at her daughter then to her father, her eyebrows crooked in confusion. "Dear, we were only gone for 5 minutes."_

_"Woah there, what's the the waterworks?" A male voice she hadn't heard for years interjected. Kagome's heart sank as she slowly peered over her mothers shoulder. She blinked through her tears to see more clearly the man standing behind them._

_There, with her younger brother perched high on his shoulders... was her father._

_Her voice caught at her throat, her heart was beating out of her chest. She abandoned her death grip on her mother and lunged towards her father. She needed to feel him, to be absolutely sure he was truly there._

_She made contact with her father, the warmth of his being radiating into her hands. She let out a gasp and collapsed to the ground, gripping onto the hem of his shirt for dear life. She let out a cry that sounded like a mixture between a dying cat and a whales mating call. A few passers by stopped to look at the scene but she didn't care._

_He was here. He was really here._

_She was home._

_"Geez sis, what the heck!" Souta chastised as he descended from his vantage point on his fathers shoulders, "Who died?"_

_Kagome wiped the streaming tears from her face. Her eyes were swollen, her face was red and blotted from her tears. Taking a deep breath to try to compose herself, she gave Souta a light punch on the shoulder._

_"No... It's nothing. Sorry." She said, "I'm just happy."_

_"I told you didn't I? Souta continued, "We'd always be watching over you."_

_Kagome jerked up, startled at her brothers words. All of a sudden she felt herself weighed down. She looked into a store mirror to see herself, hair disheveled and skin pale, dressed in her elaborate Kimono. Around All around her the city seemed to twist and warp, bricks and debris whipping through the sky as the world turned dark. Small green souls floated around her._

_She turned back to her family, but they were gone, replaced by four fireflies where they once stood. The entire city seemd to be leveled, leaving burning carnage in it's stead._

_"Kagome," a female voice said from behind her. Kagome whipped around to see a woman dressed in all white. Her long, jet black hair fell in neat locks around her, exentuating her glow, she had a small mandela on her forehead. Kagome knew she had seen this woman before, she had heard her name..._

_"Midoriko...?" Kagome ventured a guess. The woman smiled at the mention of her name for just a moment._

_"Tomorrow morning, Nagisaki will see this fate." Midoriko spoke softly, never breaking her gaze from Kagome._

_"What do you mean?!" Kagome asked panicking, "what do you want me to do?!"_

_The arch angel looked around, a solemn frown controting her lips. "God weeps, but he cannot interfere. Go to Nagisaki. Heal the wounded and broken souls, such is your duty, such is your calling."_

* * *

Kagome shot out of bed, panting heavily.

Within moments, a very on-edge Inuyasha threw her shoji screen door aside a little too quickly. He was gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, the whites of his knuckles accentuating the popping veins and deadly claws.

She blinked at him, trying to steady her racing thoughts. She was panicking, if her dream was accurate, Nagasaki would be leveled.

Kagome threw off her heavy covers, her Kimono falling off her shoulders in her rush. The ice cold air stabbed into her exposed flesh as she tried to untangle her legs from the plush confined of her sheets.

Finally kicking herself free, she tried to jump out of her over-sized bed, only to trip on the train of her lavish gown. She felt herself plummeting to the ground below and braced for impact, only to feel the warm embrace of strong arms instead.

"Woah, calm down Kagome. What happened." Inuyasha said, trying to sound comforting, but his words came out more like a demand.

She looked up into his golden eyes, his concern was evident as he inspected every inch of her for wounds or injuries.

Calming down enough to finally notice how close she was to Inuyasha, Kagome pushed him away, causing herself to land painfully on the wood.

"What the hell Kago-"

"Nagasaki." Kagome cut him off, panting her words out with a great effort, "Something's going to happen in Nagasaki."


	8. Nagasaki 1

" _Only the dead have seen the end of war."_  
 _―_ _ **Plato**_

* * *

Nagasaki in early morning August was a lot colder than Kagome had remembered.

The sun had just started to rise to the east, kissing the city in fresh shades of reds and oranges. Birds chirped happily through the sky, desperate to begin their day. The city-dwellers had yet to stir from bed, though a few who undoubtedly worked farther away or out of the city came to and from the train station.

Despite all this, the air seemed heavy. Perhaps it was her nerves, or perhaps it was the chest plate that Inuyasha had tied way too tight around her ribs that simply restricted her breathing.

Adjacent to her was said hanyou, watching the sky half heartily. They had made their way to a flat roof top. The concrete was cold and hard, causing Kagome to squirm as different parts of her body fell asleep. Inuyasha, however, didn't seem too bothered by this as he laid down without moving a muscle for hours.

He was clearly trying to stay awake as his eyes occasionally drifted closed, allowing his eyelashes to kiss his cheeks for just a moment until they sprang back to attention. They had been there for hours; from the dead of night until the break of dawn. It was still early morning and still nothing had happened.

Inuyasha had fought for permission from InuTaisho to leave for Nagasaki as soon as Kagome had asked. At some points the confrontation seemed like it would devolve into a fist fight (or worse). Kagome stood at the sidelines just outside, struggling to breathe through the intense air as the family argued and her crippling anxiety.

Eventually, through Izayoi's help and the agreement that they would be escorted by the wolf tribe they were given permission to head out.

"Man, you made it sound like it was urgent." Inuyasha whined as he turned around to face her. He had abandoned his own armor long ago and it layed haphazardly beside him. His hair blew over his face as he closed his golden eyes once more, his head balanced on the palm of his hand.

All around them the messengers of the underworld teetered impatiently. One would occasionally break off from the group, it's sickly thin limbs extenuated by the rising sun as it chased after a soul, quickly capturing it and returning to the crowd. Kagome watched them in uneasy fascination. _They all really do come in different shapes and sizes._

"It's coming... I know it is." Kagome still felt anxious, it tugged at her, nipped at her mind and breathed down her neck in sickening waves. It really didn't help that the stupid chest plate was digging into her sides either.

She tried to adjust the cold metal, struggling from the restriction of her heavy garb along with the constant tugging of the plate itself.

Inuyasha noticed her struggling, deftly raising to his knees, assisting Kagome by untying the plate all together. Kagome kept her eyes glued on her fists which were gripping tightly onto her kimono, her knuckles white. How long had she been doing that?

She released a breath she hadn't even noticed she was holding, her head spinning slightly at the need for fresh oxygen. It still amazed her how she was dead, yet she still needed to breathe, could still bleed, could still feel the cold.

There were so many things she still didn't understand. How she died, why she found herself as a kami, why she had her dream. She had asked herself these questions numerous times over the past three days, but now she found a new one pricking at her mind.

Why Inuyasha even bothered with her.

He had no reason to be with her, no reason to trust her. He could've been cold like his brother - he certainly seemed the type - but he wasn't. He had shown her the souls departing for heaven right when she needed it, had intervened when she was threatened by Sesshomaru and the servants; he was even with her now.

"Why..." She didn't mean to say it out loud, but she also didn't regret that she had.

Inuyasha was poised behind her. She couldn't see him, but she could feel him strain closer at her sudden question. "Huh?"

"Why." She said again, louder this time. "Why do you bother with me?"

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha shot back, his tone far from comforting.

"You don't know me, everyone else around that place hates me, why do you keep sticking up for me!" She spat back, spinning around to face him. His gaze was intense, his eyebrows twitching in annoyance. He was angry and wasn't making any effort to try to hide it.

"You don't make any fucking sense Kagome." He averted the question.

"Maybe I'm not," She said, cold venom seeping from her tongue, "but you're no better!"

Inuyasha's eyes grew fierce, his eyes dilating as he moved them sporadically over her figure. His jaw clenched as if he was about to retaliate, but it the words never came.

Kagome figured she had done it now, her sour mood at ruined her chances of having even one person on her side through this.

Inuyasha, on the other hand, was searching her face, reading her expression. The salty scent of her tears stung him deep, causing him to bit his tongue.

He could never understand women; his mother was solid as a stone, always wistful and cheery, Rin had always been optimistic and bright, Kikyou cold and distant

But Kagome was a storm, dangerous and beautiful all at the same time. One moment she was calm and the next a torrent. She chose who could traverse her waters and who would be cast out to sea, and he found himself alone in her unfamiliar waters.

It conflicted with everything Inuyasha knew, everything he had tried to forget over the past couple centuries. He was only beginning to come to terms with it now. How could she possibly hope to understand his reasoning's when he hardly understood them himself?

She had awoken something deep inside him, something instinctual and primal he had never experienced before; not even with Kikyou. Every cell of his body craved to protect her, to reach out and hold her, to never let her feel any strife or pain.

Everything about the kami was invading his senses. He could hear her heart pounding in her chest, smell the salt of her tears mixed with her creamy scent, felt the fabric of her thick kimono against his clawed fingers...

His golden eyes fell onto hers and he was left swimming again, lost in the world only he found himself in. It pissed him off and excited him all at once. Keep it together Inuyasha! He mentally scolded himself as he swallowed hard.

He felt himself moving closer, his body closing the space between them without being told. All of his senses were filled with her - all but one.

He wanted to taste her.

"... Just leave." Her voice broke through his thoughts, freezing him in place. He could barely hear her over the beating in his ears.

"Huh?" He blinked away his daze, noticing he was only mere inches away from her face. He could feel her breath against his lips.

"If this is all just a sick joke to you then just leave." Kagome repeated herself as she lowered her head, covering her eyes with her thick bangs. Warm wetness cascaded down her cheeks, lingering on her chin before dropping to the hard stone of the roof, staining it with the evidence of her emotions.

Inuyasha's throat clamped shut. Each breath of air cut into his dry organ. He had to fight to get the air into his lungs as he watched the tears fall. Guilt and anger danced together in his heart, both fighting for control. His usually sharp tongue was failing him as his mind raced to try to find something to fill the silence. Fuck this girl for doing this to me.

Whatever Inuyasha would have said back would be lost to Kagome, however. Just as the inugami looked like he was about to speak, his eyes flitted upwards, his attention caught by the long insect floating through the sky.

In its wake something else, a familiar scent tainting the air as the creature chased after a stray soul.

Kikyou.

Inuyasha rose to his feet in an instant, deftly re-equipping his gear and sword before re strapping Kagome in her own chest-plate.

"Wait here." He ordered sternly before leaping off the roof in one powerful movement.

"And don't you even think for one fucking second that I'm leaving because of that!"

* * *

Jagged bark of a tree Kikyou had been leaning against dug into her shoulder, stirring only slightly awake from her shallow sleep. She moved slightly, readjusting herself to get more comfortable before allowing her consciousness to drift back to black...

Onigumo stirred at her feet, bringing her back to full attention.

It had been a long, hectic night. She had been feeding him a constant supply of souls in an attempt to heal him, but it only seemed to allow him to walk the thin line between life and death only marginally.

She leaned down gingerly at his side, allowing her spiritual power to spark to life at her fingers. Onigumo's sunken eyes reflected the soft pink glow as he watched her move her small, delicate hand over his form. She could feel his pain as if it were happening to herself. Her skin was lit on fire, burning with every minor movement. Her mouth suddenly tasted metallic, her throat dry and cracking.

Finishing her examination, she allowed her power to fizzle out, instantly relieving herself from his pain. Her eyes fell on his, silently pleading with the kami to end his suffering - whether that be by death or miraculous intervention it didn't matter.

For the first time in a long time Kikyou was slowly losing interest in his suffering; her pleasure replaced with a pity that only grew by the hour.

He had been a beautiful man at one time, the kind that women would line up just for a chance with him. Now he lay before her, broken and decaying, a mess of rotten flesh and blood.

His body had not been able to heal, his skin and muscle dying out as quickly as she could repair it. The souls were only repairing his own soul, just barely keeping him alive. He would need physical attention - and soon.

She was near the city, she would see if any hospital had medicine and bandages. She would be on the look out for medicinal herbs on the way as well.

She rose to her feet in one fluid motion, the red of her hakama pants glowing in the early morning sun. Onigumo watched her still, swallowing hard frantically as he opened his mouth as if he was trying to speak but his voice wouldn't cooperate.

A few soul collectors swarmed around Kikyou, wrapping her loosely in their tails as she walked away. They nudged her cheek playfully as she went as if asking her what she was doing. She pushed them away, disappearing through the trees.

* * *

 _ **Stupid Inuyasha. what's his problem!**_ **Kagome huffed as she carefully descended the steel stairwell of the building she inhabited the roof of moments ago**.  _Like hell I'll wait for him.._   _Running off without warning. Sheesh! What does he mean he didn't leave because of what I said? Of course he did..._

The uneven steel of the steps dug into her thin shoes, making her stumble slightly from the sudden discomfort. She gripped onto the railing, steadying herself. She bit her lip, forcing back the new tears that burned in her eyes. She was done with crying. He wasn't worth it.

She would take things into her own hands from now on... If only she could even figure out where to start.

Kagome followed the hushed whispers and flickering lights of stray souls, wandering the streets with no discernable destination. It just felt like the right move to make. She couldn't explain it, but it almost felt like someone, a voice not her own, was directing her to do so.

Kagome's flowing kimono swished behind her, the heavy fabric picking up leafs and debris as she went. She felt entirely out of place amongst the modern street fashions, business suits and school uniforms, even though she knew no one else could see her, she still found herself trying to appear as small as possible.

A pack of school girls walked passed her, giggling amongst themselves as they went. From what Kagome would pick up they were gossiping about some boy whom two of the girls insisted had a crush on the third.

" _No way, gross!"_  the third girl gasped as she shoved her friend playfully.

" _Totally Karen! I bet my lunch on it!"_

Kagome looked after them with a solemn gaze as she went. It wasn't long until they were out of sight, leaving her alone to envy after that simple life again.

It's funny, really. She always used to play castle as a child, and now that she was living the life of royalty she wanted nothing more than to return to the mundane. Perhaps the whole  _being dead but not really dead_  thing had a role to play it in.

Kagome quickly righted herself once more. She was here for a reason, she couldn't go back to that life anymore.  _This_  was her life now, a life many would dream to live and yet she couldn't help but feel like it was a cruel curse.

What would her mother do if she was in her shoes? Most likely grab the bull by the horns and grit her teeth through the discomfort. Kagome had always admired her mother for that, especially after her father had passed away.

Lost in thought, before long Kagome found herself in the center of morning commuters. The sick feeling in her stomach came back full force, like she had just been punched square in the gut. Kagome swallowed hard, a hitch in her breath as she tried to hold down her anxious nausea.

Everything around her felt sickeningly  _wrong_. It was a warm, clear morning; yet not a single song bird had graced the skies with its cheerful (or annoying, depending who you asked) songs. Cicada's wails didn't vibrate through the streets despite it being mid brood. All of it sent a shiver down Kagome's spine and a second wave of nausea to run up her throat.

The worst part of all was how  _familiar_ it all was.

Kagome frantically searched around her, desperate for something to stand out to her – anything that would spark an answer in her.

"Please…" She pleaded to herself, hoping someone, anyone would hear her, knowing full well she was but a gust of wind to the lives around her.

"Please… get out of here… can't you tell something is wrong? Please! Anyone! You have to get out of here!"

Inuyasha leap a top buildings effortlessly as he followed the insect, searching the growing crowds for Kikyou as he went.

Inuyasha scoffed to himself, memories of the witch that he had struggled to keep in the deepest recesses of his mind came flooding back to him.

Kikyou, a woman who had tormented him, left him with countless nightmares and constant physical reminders of her days with him in paper white marks that danced across his otherwise tanned skin.

Kikyou, the woman who had managed to elude not only him, but countless search efforts across Japan for her treason against not only the Kami but God himself.

Kikyou, a witch in every sense and definition of the word. A woman who was surely smart enough to set all of this up as a trap just to lure her favourite toy back into her cold, thin fingers.

Inuyasha shook his head. Trap or not, the opportunity was not to be wasted. Centuries had gone by without a single trace. If she was to be caught, it would have to be now.

Kagome's face danced across his vision for no more than a split second, breaking him out of his anger induced trance.

Kagome. Her kind, gentle nature and beautiful features that resembled his demon so perfectly.

Kagome, the girl he had chosen to trust, to allow into his life despite his past.

Kagome, the girl whom he had left crying on some god forsaken rooftop as he chased after a ghost.

Was it Kikyou that had set her off? Was she the reason she insisted on coming? Was Kikyou behind the threat?

Surely, it would be safest to capture her before she caught whiff of either of them, wouldn't it?

All of these doubts races through Inuyasha's mind as he flew through the skies chasing after the sickly spirit.

" _Yo!"_  a sudden call broke through the low mumble of the streets below. Suddenly, his nose was assaulted by the familiar reek of wolf.

Without taking his eyes off the sickly worm flowing through the sky Inuyasha slowed his pace, ignoring the wolf youkai while still giving him enough time to chase after him.

Soon after the foul stench came close enough for the inugami to know Kouga was tailing him without having to look.

"The hell man?!" Kouga chastised, the annoyance clear in his tone. "Could have at least replied. I'm offended."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Open your fucking eyes wolf brain, can't you see I'm busy." Inuyasha tilted his head towards the spirit in question. Without missing a beat Kouga caught on, his brows furrowed as he pieced two and two together.

"Fuck," Kouga cursed "You mean you weren't just having PMS and pulling all of our legs?"

Inuyasha didn't feel the need to answer that.  _Why the fuck else would I be out here from sunrise to near noon?! To have a fucking tea party with all the damn soul collectors?_

"So, Kikyou eh… after all these years for her scent to show up now…" He pressed on, filling the silence. "Are you ready for this?"

"As I'll ever be," Inuyasha spat back in irritation. He had been waiting centuries for this. He wasn't about to pass this up.

It wasn't long until the two were at the edge of the city. The forest was beginning to thicken, leading the two to follow their noses more than their eyesight as they continued pursuit.

Soon after entering the wooded area the spirit released a small soul it had been carrying before flying back off towards the city.

"The fuck?" Inuyasha scoffed annoyed, turning on his heel to chase after the spirit once again.

"Hold it dog breath," Inuyasha was stopped by a firm grip on his shoulder from his wolf companion, "Look."

The inugami spun around once more, following the line of sight his wolf friend until it fell upon the outline on the messy forest floor.

"The fuck is that?"

Several worm like spirits hovered around the body, some releasing spirits and flying off, others seemed to be swarming free souls above the body.

Just then, the body groaned, a sound that sent a shiver down both the demon's spines.

The air was heavy with malicious, sickening aura. Kikyous scent permeated through in nauseating waves.

"Well, my friend," Kouga swallowed hard, "I think we found her."

* * *

Kikyou moved effortlessly through the busy streets surrounding the hospital. It wasn't hard to slip in and take a few bandages, medicine and other supplies she felt she may have needed.

Leaving the hospital, arms effortlessly holding onto her supplies, a call from her left caught her off guard.

 _That doesn't happen very often_  Kikyou thought. Very rarely had anything caught her attention or caught her off guard these days. She was a master of deception and disguise after all, having hidden herself from the spiritual workings of the world for centuries.

Her intuition was rarely wrong.

She stopped in her tracks to see a girl who stuck out like a sore thumb against the modern city folk of Nagasaki. Where girls walked by in sailor uniforms and western style suits, she was garbed in traditional royal attire of an era long forgotten.

The girl was looking around frantically trying to get the attention of those around her.

 _"Please,"_  she pleaded,  _"Listen to my voice, it isn't safe here!"_

A soft pink glow radiated off of her. She was trying to communicate with the souls of the living – and clearly not having much success with it.

What's more, she clearly had signature energies from some other certain kami's Kikyou knew…

Abandoning her better sense to satisfy her curiosity, Kikyou approached the girl.

The closer she got, the more her curiosity was piqued. She had flowing, black hair that fell in a slight curl. As she moved her hair bounced behind her hypnotically. It was only when she turned to show her face that Kikyou was completely enthralled.

It was like staring in a mirror. She was a near exact copy of Kikyou herself.

"You're wasting your time." Kikyou said, not really attempting to hide the interest in her voice. From this close she could really sense the energies of Rin, Izayoi and their inugami servants, although they were faint.

Another energy rippled off of her stronger than the others, one that sent excitement and mania through Kikyou. Her old inugami – Inuyasha.

The girl turned around, shock clear on her face.

"Y-you can see me?" She asked, bewildered.

She looked like she was taken off guard. The sudden response clearly making her jump.

 _Kagome_ a voice in Kikyou's head whispered, similarly to how she could see into the lives and identities of souls.  _She was there to help her, right?_ The whisper continued, the thought not belonging to Kikyou but the girl, Kagome.

"It's not going to work," Kikyou said in a calm voice, her eyes narrowing slightly as she sized up the girl in front of her. "Trying to call out to living souls like that," Kikyou continued, "It'll only work on those who are spiritually sensitive or those who willingly allow it."

"Calling… out to living souls?" Kagome gave her a puzzled look, "I wasn't doing anything like that."

Kikyou held back a grimace. Kagome certainly looked like her, but she was clearly clueless. A hopeless girl just waiting for someone with less than pure intentions to come and take advantage of her.

_The type of kami that was just what Kikyou was looking for._

"You're new at this, aren't you?" Kikyou gave her warmest smile.

Kagome cast her gaze down. "Is it that obvious?" She said shyly, her bangs falling to cover her eyes.

"It's alright, we all begin somewhere." Kikyou tried to reassure her, moving in to grab her doppelganger's shoulder.

Kikyou felt a slight shock at her touch though Kagome made no move to show she felt it too. It was strange. Normally Kikyou could gage a person's soul at a glance - learning their name, their history, their emotions - but with Kagome all she could see was darkness as if nothing was there.

She was an enigma. Her looks, her powers, the thick fog that seemed to hang around her memories. Kikyou had never encountered something like this before. She was a mystery, her powers unknown.

_Exactly what I need._

"H-how long have you been..." Kagome began and trailed off as if she were trying not to offend her.

"Dead." Kikyou finished for her. "A number of centuries. Time flows differently in the land that borders between heaven and Earth. It's easy to lose track."

"You live in the land between the two realms?" Kagome asked, her eyes sparkling with... excitement, hope? Kikyou couldn't exactly tell.

"I come and go. My work mostly has me here though."

A soul collector flew lazily above the two, silently signaling Kikyou it was time to return. She had long found what she needed and then some.

"Say, if you're looking to help the humans I have someone who needs it desperately." Kikyou turned stern. She had no intentions of drawing out a mundane conversation. She had no interest in the girl before her save what she could do and  _who_  she could lead her to.

"I'll try my best!" Kagome sprang forward, her eyes sparkling once more, this time with determination. It was miraculous how quickly this girl could have forgotten about her previous endeavors at the simple mention of a task.

She really was an idiot, trusting a stranger and being led off towards the forested area alone.

Kikyou did not make more conversation on their way, instead her mind swirling with ideas of how she could manipulate the girl behind her.

When the thicket gave way to the clearing Kagome was instantly struck by the sight of multiple eel-like insects floating around various fire-fly souls. The sight was straight out of a fairy tale, the souls illuminating the surrounding shaded woods in a cool green glow. The floating insects seemed to be dancing, ushering the souls to gather them around one central point.

The green glow surrounded Kikyou's form making her seem even more ethereal than should have been physically possible. She was like a goddess straight out of one of the paintings in the Inu-gami's grand mansion.

That was what it was, the feeling Kagome couldn't just put a word to until now to describe the kami before her.  _Ethereal_ , like a fairy that managed to fly it's way straight out of a painting. Every step she took she seemed to glide, every strand of hair fell straight and framed her thin body perfectly. Her lips were pert and slightly pink.

Kikyou stepped to the side revealing the full beauty of the clearing. A moan broke through the serenity of it all, instantly bringing Kagome back to reality. Dread pierced her heart like a stake. Images of fire and pain flooded into her head.

Kagome fell to her knee's, holding her body against the searing pain she could feel in each and every cell of her being. Images of a life unfamiliar to her flashed before her eyes. Stealing, murdering, fire, pain _, hatred_.

Kagome tired to scream but her throat closed in. She was aware she was panting, each ragged breath invading her lungs like hot knifes.

Then she was back. Kikyou looked over her, her eyes hazed over like storm clouds. Without a word Kikyou turned around, pulling bandages and vials from her person and kneeling over a decrepit form.

"W-what was that...?" Kagome panted out, struggling to catch her breath.

"The memories of the life of this man." Kikyou's voice held no emotion as she drenched some gauze in antibiotic cream. "I found him three days ago around the border of Hiroshima."

"What happened to him?" Kagome stood up slowly, testing her balance before slowly staggering over to the kami and man. When she saw him she had almost wished she hadn't.

"The humans are at war." Kikyou drawled out, "This is the aftermath of greed and total disregard of human life. I have been keeping him alive with leftover energy from these souls."

At the mention of it each firefly orb seemed to jump. On queue a soul collector gently swept a soul towards the man. It's glow quickly fading as disappearing as it was absorbed into his body.

"But that doesn't mean his physical condition is any good." Kikyou continued, plastering the gauze over some of the worst affected areas of his body.

" _Kagome!"_  The male voice boomed through the forest. A flash of red and white descended from the trees, landing across from where the kami stood.

"Ah. Inuyasha," Kikyou gazed down on the inugami as if snubbing him, her eyes piercing and cruel. "Nice of you to join us."

**Author's Note:**

> Okay. I'm going to be real. I gave myself an anxiety attack just writing this. I've been researching the Hiroshima, Nagisaki bombings for a week now just to write this story. And let me tell you, it's terrifying. Two video's I drew a lot of inspiration from for this chapter was "24 hours after Hiroshima" by NatGeo and Hadashi no Gen. You can find both on Youtube. Leave a review, this will be updated weekly until it is up-to-date. So you have 7-9 weeks of constant updates ahead of you!


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